Release date: 17/08/2009

By: Charlie Masson Smith
Telephone 020 8871 6173 or email cmassons@wandsworth.gov.uk

Call for action on Tooting 'chuggers'

 The council is calling on ministers to give the town hall the powers to tackle the legions of "chuggers" who are swarming around Tooting Broadway pestering passers-by for their bank details.

Concern is mounting among councillors and the Tooting business community over the uncontrolled activities of chuggers – so-called because they are viewed by many as "charity muggers".

These fundraisers stop passers-by, engage them in conversation and then try to persuade them to hand over their bank account details so that the charities and campaign groups who employ them can set up direct debits.

Concern is mounting because the piazza outside the entrance to Tooting Broadway tube station is being overrun with chuggers on an almost daily basis.

Local people have complained about the persistent and manipulative way they target visitors to the town centre. There are also concerns about the sheer numbers of chuggers working outside the station and the obstruction they create.

There are worries that distracting people and encouraging them to remain stationary at such a busy and bustling location makes them easier targets for pickpockets and bag snatchers.

There is concern that the fundraisers' use of high pressure sales techniques and their method of "befriending" people is taking unfair advantage of vulnerable members of the community who are less able to resist these tactics.

And the practice of encouraging people to divulge personal and financial information on the street to complete strangers is also regarded as risky and undesirable.

Under existing legal arrangements charities and pressure groups can legitimately use chuggers to raise funds on the street without a licence.

The Charities Act 2006 did contain clauses which would require these collectors to obtain a licence from the relevant local authority before they were permitted to fundraise, but these clauses have not been brought into force by ministers.

Now, in the wake of the experiences at Tooting Broadway, the council is calling on ministers to activate these clauses and tighten up the law.

The council's regeneration and community safety spokesman Cllr James Cousins said: "While we have absolutely no wish to stop charities raising money, we are becoming increasingly unhappy at the growing use of chuggers and the tactics they employ.

"There are simply too many chuggers working this spot. They are here virtually every day of the week and it is beginning to have a really serious impact on businesses and the image of the town centre.

"Some traders near the station have told us that their takings have gone down dramatically since the chuggers arrived. They tell us that their customers are simply avoiding the area because they don’t want to run the gauntlet of so many pushy fundraisers who won't take no for an answer.

"We have tried engaging with the umbrella group that represents this industry – the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association – and asked them to remove Tooting Broadway from its list of approved "pitches" but the response we've had back has been unsatisfactory.

"We are now seeking other remedies along with our partners, Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and the Tooting Town Centre Partnership, who all have misgivings about these activities.

"And we are also calling on the Government to activate all the powers from the Charities Act 2006 to allow us to better regulate and control chuggers so that the kind of problems we are witnessing at Tooting Broadway can be swiftly tackled."

Indrajit Patel, who chairs the Tooting Town Centre Partnership and speaks on behalf of businesses in the area added: "The town centre is definitely being harmed as a result of the very large numbers of chuggers targeting the area.

"Businesses are suffering and the image of the area is suffering. Huge numbers of people use Tooting Broadway station and there is deep concern that shoppers and other visitors will stop coming if they know that every time they arrive they are going to be ambushed by people persistently demanding their names and bank account numbers."

"From our point of view we feel that there should be no chugging at all at this location."


ENDS

The council's website contains all current and past press releases dating back to February 2000

Sign up for daily news alerts at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/subscribe

Make and view comments on this article

Important notice
You must carefully read and then agree to the Terms and Conditions (link opens in new window) before accessing the message board and posting a comment. If you do not wish to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, you may not access or use the message board.
If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us at press@wandsworth.gov.uk or to the member of the press team shown at the top of the page.

Your comments

The most recent comments made about this article.

Having run the gauntlet of 6 chuggers this morning in my High Street and 1 jumping up and down in front of me, waving his arms and blocking my way I felt very annoyed. I called my local council, who refered me to my town council . After 4 back and forth calls it became clear that nither knew how to deal with this or who agreed they could descend on the town. I found your web information, which is very useful.I feel strongly that LAs need some powers to deal with this issue. I will be sending it to my local council. I contribute directly to choosen charities and know the full amount goes to the need not thes street collectors wages.
Elizabeth OK - UK

The vast majority of so called 'chuggers' are doing a great job and having been politely stopped by a number of them over the last few months, I found them to be very well informed about their charity and not remotely pushy when I chose not to give. I don't mind seeing these guys around at all. It's a healthy reminder that we can all do a bit more to help others. They are being carefully regulated. Perhaps the local counsellors are chasing a bit of profile by hitting a soft target, rather than dealing with the real issues affecting us local folks.
S Jordan - Balham

I think Wandsworth Council should be congratulated.Charity collectors are an absolute pain.
kevin connolly - Battersea

The entire tone of this article is obtuse. The use of words such as; 'targeting', 'ambushed' and 'demanding' contravenes precisely what the PFRA stands for. Street fundraisers that work IN HOUSE, NOT on commission and adhere to the PFRA's strict guidleines that we do NOT pressuirze, harass or manipulate the public do a job which they are thanked for, constantly, by the public, every day. They raise the profile of underfunded charities and earn much needed support to save and improve the lives of people less fortunate than ourselves. These people (and they are people, by the way) choose to stand outside come rain or shine and invest all their energy into interracting with an overwhelmingly kind and generous public.Keep up the good work guys!
Sarah - London

I absolutely support the councils tough stance on chugging; I'd like to see more action on free newspaper distributors too. They all just get in the way and disrupt the pedestrian flow. Shops have reason to be concerned; if people are avoiding the chuggers, they are not looking in shop windows and instead passing by with their head down. I also agree with some other posters who have raised that St Johns Hill nr Clapham Junction has a problems with this too. Maybe if we had a Sunday a year when all charities could bring stalls to, say, Northcote Road and invite our support but leave us alone for the rest of the year we could satisfy both camps?
Martyn - Battersea

Whether you like chuggers or not, these charities save people's lives and improve the lives of millions of people in this country and all over the world.

Surely, we are grown up enough to put up with a little inconvenience so that these charities can do their work?

Or is the peace and tranquility of our precious lives that much more important than feeding, clothing or housing people or helping those with disabilities lead a better life or finding a cure for a disease or helping the aged population live with dignity or preventing cruelty or abuse to children or animals?

Apparently, it is for many. And a very sad reflection on society it is too.
Henry - Earlsfield

As always with this issue when it crops up, the language and reporting is negative and biased. All shop keepers (except pound shops) are experiencing a downturn in trade as are charities in fundraising. Fundraisers are regulated; if you have a bad experience with 'backchat' or pushy tactics then call the charity and the individual will be dealt with. The same goes for walking and talking which is also not allowed. Had any of you ever thought of asking the hundreds of thousands of people who do stop and engage and use thier own minds to decide if they have been inpired enough to give? Shop keepers Advertisers, Paintballers, Service 'switchers',mobile phone service providers all use far more questionable methods to sell stuff no one needs.
Graham - Battersea

There is also a problem outside Sainsburys at Tooting. The collectors have been there for sometime and the same charity was outside Wimbledon Sainsburys so I take it they are there with permission
Jean - Tooting

There is a similar problem at Clapham Junction along St Johns Road. Once in a while it would not be a problem or inconvenience but to be accosted regularly does become a pain.
Pat Howes - Battersea

I hate being patronised by students or out of work actors about issues for which they only have a mercenary attachment. Traditional volunteer collectors will generally have the good grace to ask for permission where they collect, and solicit donations in a dignified manner.

The other people who are often a nuisance are the free paper distributors who pose a safety risk by block station entrances and taking up pavement space.
Colm - Tooting