Catalogue description Office of the Commissioner: Advisory Committee on House to House Collections: Minutes of Meetings

The House to House Collections Act 1939, together with regulations, was introduced to prevent fraudulent charity collections. With the exception of 'national' collections, for which authority would be granted by the Home Secretary, charity promoters were required to obtain a licence from the police authority. Section 9 of the Act relates specifically to the Metropolitan Police District for which the Commissioner of Police is the licensing authority. As a result of this legislation, the commissioner set up an advisory committee consisting initially of representatives from charitable organisations, the London Mendicity Society, the London County Council War Charities Committee, the Association of Municipal Corporations, a liaison officer from the City of London Police and an accountant.

Unlike the legislation relating to Street Collections, the 1939 Act did not specifically require the setting up of an advisory committee and in April 1948 consideration was given to disbandment although the committee continued to meet. The committee appears to have wound up in 1957.