Topic: Association fee question

[Squash63]

We have just increased our Association fee from £3 per year to £4 and inevitably, a few people have complained. 
£2 of it is for insurance and the rest is for running costs.  Is £4 expensive?  What do other sites charge?

[kt.]

We charge £1 per plot holder.  We also charge the general public the same one off annual charge if they wish to purchase from the lottie shop or nursery. A membership card is issued on payment.

[Buster54]

We are charged £1.50 per year so we can enjoy discounts at our shop but I have yet to see any discount as every thing keeps going up and there are better bargains at local DIY and discount stores,I am aware that prices do rise but you don't increase stock that the Association have already bought and paid for at a lower price 2-3 weeks ago until that stock has been cleared and you have the new stock at the new price,don't think I will be bothering next year.

[lizagrowbag]

no idea of the break down but i payed £19  for a year

[hopalong]

£4 a year sounds incredibly cheap to me.  We pay £49 (or £29 for over sixties like me) for a full size plot in East Finchley, North London, and I think that's a fantastic bargain for what we get out of it, psychologically and physically as well as nutritionally.

[flowerofshona2007]

Dont think this is about 'plot fees' !!
This is the association fees you pay if you have a shop, seed scheme ect!
Ours is £1.50 a year but some sites are affiliated to the 'nat allot ass' which increases this by about £2 each.
The fees can not be increased unless agreed at the AGM and if you dont go to the AGM you will not find out what is going on.

[Kea]

Our association is free at the moment but it doesn't provide anything currently except a voice!

[Squash63]

Thanks for the replies so far.  Just to clarify, the £4 is not the cost of the plot - that is £24 per year, or £12 for over 60's, with half-plots being a little cheaper.

Some of the £4 is for membership of NSALG (http://www.nsalg.org.uk/) and includes insurance for every plotholder, and the discounted seed scheme.  The rest goes on heating our pavilion and the use of the kitchen for making hot drinks, our newsletter, laminated posters, and things like printer ink, stamps etc. We have a shop, but this pays for itself.

[Dadnlad]

We pay £5 per year (usually at the agm in December with a membership card on receipt) which includes the £2 NSALG fee ::)

However membership entitles me purchase 1/2 price seed spuds
As we set around 20kg of seed spuds a year, we easily save the membership fee :P

[Robert_Brenchley]

I pay £3 a year for the Association, and it's an extra £1 if your partner wants to join.

[hopalong]

£4 a year sounds incredibly cheap to me.  We pay £49 (or £29 for over sixties like me) for a full size plot in East Finchley, North London, and I think that's a fantastic bargain for what we get out of it, psychologically and physically as well as nutritionally.

Sorry about my mistake!  We have an active association with a trading shed and newsletter but no separate association fee.  The plot fee covers everything.