A CHARITY stall which is being moved from its prime city-centre pitch at the same time as it is being charged for the first time could be in line for a reprieve. Save the Children Fund (SCF) has set up outside Barclays Bank in St Peter s Street, St Albans

A CHARITY stall which is being moved from its prime city-centre pitch at the same time as it is being charged for the first time could be in line for a reprieve.

Save the Children Fund (SCF) has set up outside Barclays Bank in St Peter's Street, St Albans on the five Saturdays before Christmas for many years.

But it has been told that it will now have to move around the corner of the bank so it is no longer fronting St Peter's Street and that it must pay £8.50 a week for the pitch even though volunteers for the charity put up the table and clear up before and after the sale.

But this week St Albans District Council's culture and heritage portfolio holder, Cllr Melvyn Teare, who has responsibility for markets, said they would be having a rethink about their policy with regard to charities throughout the whole year.

And he was hopeful that something could be done for SCF before they started selling their cards and gifts.

Cllr Teare said: "As a council we have to ensure we generate income across all aspects of the work we do." But he accepted that charities were something of a grey area and the council would be looking at what they could do to help them.