2021 AGM questions and answers

In light of the green agenda and the ever-rising price of electricity, will the Club continue to offer members unlimited (and unmetered) electricity when they book a pitch with EHU, or will the club move to some form of metering in the foreseeable future?

The fairest way to charge for electricity usage would be based on consumption, and this would also likely influence usage levels from a sustainability perspective. Unfortunately, the cost of infrastructure and subsequent monitoring and payment mechanisms are significantly cost prohibitive at this time. Having said this, the Club is constantly reviewing the technology and opportunities in this space in order to identify cost effective ways of being able to deliver this type of arrangement in the future.

Question by Ted Howard-Jones. Answered by the Club Chairman at the AGM.

Can consideration be made to make club sites available to "Members only" following the increase in popularity of uk holidays? There is nothing more frustrating to members who cannot get onto (most popular) sites which allow non members to advance book? An example is the popular Rowntree Park site in York which invariably is fully the booked majority of the time.

Most site bookings, approximately 98%+, are made by Club members. Often it is lease or planning rules which require access for everyone to be provided. The Club leases Rowntree Park from York City Council, and they expect all to have access, which for a public body is entirely reasonable.

It is worth noting that a non-member pays an additional £13 per night on the pitch fee and this extra charge means that, even for the shortest of stays, most people decide that the Club membership fee is great value and join the Club.

Question by Gary Marshall

Has the club become oversubscribed with too many people chasing too few pitches, causing issues within the booking system also weekend bookings preventing longer stays

Sites have been very busy this year because we did not open until part way through the season. We are looking at policy and procedures around bookings, but generally all members are free to book and use Club services. A weekend booking is very important for many members who cannot take longer breaks

Question by Rosemary Harmer

Within the next 12 months is it the intention of the Club to introduce deposits on booking and if so, has the Committee fully considered the flexibility that members currently enjoy in planning and changing bookings without financial penalty. Would deposits be transferable between sites?

Following on the success of the Overseas Sites booking engine launched in 2019, we have restarted the Booking Capability programme and we will aim to deliver the new UK sites booking engine by Quarter 2 2022.

To remind you of the key features, we will be delivering:

A new interactive map to search for and book sites
Ability to book multiple campsites at same time
Option to choose your pitch type
More availability - by taking deposits to reduce speculative bookings
Fast check in - with payment prior to arrival
The ability to ‘book a year in advance’ was one of the first initiatives delivered by the Booking Capability programme and enabled members to book nearly 750,000 nights for 2021 by the end of 2020.

Question by Paul Hirst

When is the club going to address the weekend mass booking especially over the main holiday season (June -August)? when members are trying to book at least a weeks holiday but cannot because every weekend is fully booked. I suggest that a deposit is taken for weekend bookings Friday to Sunday this may level the playing field in aid of the members with children or distant travellers.

Following on the success of the Overseas Sites booking engine launched in 2019, we have restarted the Booking Capability programme and we will aim to deliver the new UK sites booking engine by Quarter 2 2022.

To remind you of the key features, we will be delivering:

A new interactive map to search for and book sites
Ability to book multiple campsites at same time
Option to choose your pitch type
More availability - by taking deposits to reduce speculative bookings
Fast check in - with payment prior to arrival
The ability to ‘book a year in advance’ was one of the first initiatives delivered by the Booking Capability programme and enabled members to book nearly 750,000 nights for 2021 by the end of 2020.

Question by Iain Macpherson

Members booking well in advance, should we not be asking for deposits as it is getting more difficult to book sites due to members booking early then cancel at the last minute and especially for people who work and can only get time of at the short notice?

Following on the success of the Overseas Sites booking engine launched in 2019, we have restarted the Booking Capability programme and we will aim to deliver the new UK sites booking engine by Quarter 2 2022.

To remind you of the key features, we will be delivering:

A new interactive map to search for and book sites
Ability to book multiple campsites at same time
Option to choose your pitch type
More availability - by taking deposits to reduce speculative bookings
Fast check in - with payment prior to arrival
The ability to ‘book a year in advance’ was one of the first initiatives delivered by the Booking Capability programme and enabled members to book nearly 750,000 nights for 2021 by the end of 2020.

Question by Tony Ball

When will the Club be taking deposits for bookings, to avoid people double or treble booking sites which reduces availability to everyone?

It is not possible to book two sites for the same date under one membership. As part of the new Overseas and UK sites booking engine programme we are reviewing our current payment terms and conditions in response to member feedback like yours.

The first part of the programme introduced the ability for members to book at least one year in advance, removing 'Peak Booking Day' and providing members with an opportunity to make a booking much further in advance at their own leisure. Our ambition is to provide more availability to members by increasing the volume of certain bookings.

Question by Chris Hockey

I understand that there are a significant number of bookings that are made in advance and subsequently cancelled. Could the club introduce a deposit system, say 10-20% of the total cost of the booking, to reduce this occurrence? This would then enable those who wish to make spur of the moment bookings more available especially with the recently increased membership.

Whilst there are many thousands of cancellations and amendments each year, the vast majority of these are made by the vast majority of members, i.e. not simply made by a minority of members making high volumes of bookings (so called ‘block bookers’).

This is why the Club is now investigating methods aimed at improving the booking experience of members, including the introduction of deposits, coupled with new cancellation rules. Whilst undoubtedly the Club, and therefore members, lose revenue as a result of high volumes of cancellations, many of the cancelled bookings are resold. However, we accept that this does not make it desirable, which is why we support the ambition to provide more availability to members by reducing the volume of less certain bookings, and why we will do something about it.

Quesrion by Gordon Kendall

Does the club have any plans to review the practice of offering seasonal pitches where caravans are often unoccupied for long periods of time on sites which are fully booked in summer months and thus unavailable to other members wishing to stay there?

In a normal year we only provide seasonal pitches on sites where we do not otherwise often sell the touring pitch. Seasonal pitches provide incremental revenue at a site where the pitch would otherwise go unsold. Any unsold seasonal pitches are always added back into the touring inventory list for the campsite.

We did recognise that 2021 would see exceptional volumes of touring members on sites this year which could have created some scenarios where touring pitches were full. We have therefore already taken this into consideration when carrying out our annual review of our sites with seasonal pitches.

Question by Ross Durkin

With the increasing popularity of the Club it is becoming more difficult to book a pitch. It is then extremely annoying to find a site is fully booked and members are turned away when there are so many seasonal pitches with empty caravans on them. The practice of allowing seasonal pitches on a club site is creating a club where affluent members take priority over disadvantaged ones. Will the club look to ban seasonal pitches?

In a normal year we only provide seasonal pitches on sites where we do not otherwise often sell the touring pitch. Seasonal pitches provide incremental revenue at a site where the pitch would otherwise go unsold. Any unsold seasonal pitches are always added back into the touring inventory list for the campsite.

We did recognise that 2021 would see exceptional volumes of touring members on sites this year which could have created some scenarios where touring pitches were full. We have therefore already taken this into consideration when carrying out our annual review of our sites with seasonal pitches.

Question by Vaughan Westall. Answered by the Director General at the AGM

The CL's are a network of sites for members to access wonderful locations and the owners to access a large customer base. The relationship is supposed to be exclusive so is it possible for the CAMC to develop a simple booking app: 1) for members to check availability and make reservations, 2) to notify owners of reservation requests and to confirm bookings, 3) to notify members of confirmations,4) allow owners to manage offline bookings.

Thanks for the suggestion. At present we are looking at a revised system for Club sites.

Bookings for CLs, which are independent businesses, will require further development and costs, which we plan to explore further and discuss with CL Owners once we have completed the major development of the Club Site booking system.

Question by Jeffrey Carr

With more sites closing and existing sites revamped to provide glamping pods, etc, that take up previously available pitches. What are the plans to open new sites to expand the capacity to meet the ever growing demand for pitches for Motorhomes and caravans?

Generally, glamping has been added to areas where touring demand is lower or where the land is unsuitable. Carnon Downs, Teesdale Barnard Castle and River Breamish are examples of new sites and extensions to existing sites in 2021 to deliver additional touring pitches. We continue to actively explore acquisition opportunities in areas where we believe we are underrepresented, and should viable opportunities arise, it is our ambition to take advantage of these where possible at a reasonable and proportionate price.

Question by Mark McGillycuddy

To attract younger families who may have limited finances, what action is the club taking to keep site pitch costs to a minimum, particularly in the school holidays?

We do always try to do this, and we have passed on 100% of the VAT reductions this season, and will continue to do so. We benchmark all prices locally, but the Club, just as any other organisation, or family, does have rising costs which are unavoidable. Members are able to join local Centres who offer a variety of rallies throughout the year which are often an economical solution for holidaying.

Question by David Stedman

Why does the club persist in charging for on site WiFi when other organisations* provide this free for site users?

Firstly, the services provided by the Club and others can be completely different. Those which offer free WiFi are often a singular defined hotspot area, whilst the Club offers a site-wide provision allowing usage within your outfit, and therefore price points for these two different types of proposition are not comparable. Over the past 10 years the Club has invested heavily in its WiFi provision to provide members with the best possible service at the most affordable price. In the past 6 months the Club has begun a programme of upgrading over 100 sites to full ultra-fast broadband through fibre directly to the sites. This relies on a partnership with Openreach who are constructing the fibre network. As of today, 50 sites have been fully upgraded. You are, of course, always able to access the Club website (for checking bookings and so on) for free at any site.

Question by David Carr. Answered by the Club Treasurer at the AGM

* amended question

When will the club be providing the much needed support for touring Motorhomes at club sites ie. small, simple, overnight, car-park-style pitches for very limited stays (2 nights max ) for a small charge (£10?)? A motorhome is not a caravan, and are aimed at those people moving from place-to-place-to-place each day and need a secure place to spend the night.

People use the Club in many different ways. We have a number of non-facility sites across the network which provide these kinds of stays and we are exploring what other options may be available and viable at other sites. The Club's extensive CL network can help too for those who prefer a smaller site at a lower cost.

Question by Steve Wilkes

Given the national lack of facilities and the increasing popularity of campervans and motorhomes, should the Club permit the use of water and waste disposal facilities on Club sites and CLs for members who are not staying (for a suitable charge)?

As Club members we need to encourage responsible tourism. With the exception of Scotland, in general terms, you must stay on licenced sites, or with landowners with permission by law - wild camping is not legal. Therefore our focus is on providing a range of full facility, and non-facility sites together with CLs and centre rallies to meet the needs of all members.

Question by Simon Robinson

Too many of the Club’s simple small non facility Sites have disappeared from the Site network in recent years. Marazion Site is heavily expected to be the next casualty. Can the Club give members reassurance that it is still committed to offering members who prefer small simple sites a degree of choice, and that it will invest in them to make them viable for the future, catering for all member tastes?

The Club is entirely committed to providing a full choice of sites and environments for members to choose from, ranging from small 5 van CL sites, all the way through to our resort style sites such as Hillhead and Seacroft. It is of course also important to ensure that these sites are in the right location, and are sufficiently popular enough to at least breakeven, which has historically been a challenge on a small number of our non-facility sites.

The pandemic encouraged many of our members to try non-facility sites, and our hope is that now they have experienced these sites, there will be a better appreciation of the joy they can bring, and subsequently become more popular. Centre rallies can also offer a 'simple' touring experience for members.

Question by Deborah Leeson

I would like to know if the club has any plans to introduce Adult only sites or Adult only areas on their sites?

Not as Club sites - all members can use all services. Many CLs and some Affiliated Sites do offer this service.

Question by Claire Meadowcraft

Is there a possibility you could invest in toilet block facilities at Englethwaite Hall, Carlisle? It is perfectly located as a break point in the journey south (and return north) for Scottish members. The absence of such facilities makes the site much less attractive for us.

There are no plans to invest in these facilities at Englethwaite Hall. The number of pitches on the site, and the lack of local infrastructure such as mains drainage make it cost prohibitive for a site of this size. We try to keep a balance of sites with a range of facilities and prices catering for different member preferences. Kendal Club site has fast access from the M6 and provides these services.

Question by Jan de Vries

The executive committee is not representative of the population in the UK, apart from gender there are no other diverse characteristics (eg ethnic, sexuality, physical, socio-economic). What is clubs leadership doing to increase diversity in the ExCo as well as club membership overall to make it more inclusive and diverse? This will help ensure the clubs future as the demographics in the UK is changing. Thank you.

The Club's Executive Committee is made up of volunteer members, elected by members at the AGM. We welcome and encourage applications for all roles in the Club from people of all backgrounds and interests. There is always more to be done in this area but the Club overall does better than many employers. For example it has only a small gender pay gap of 4% and that is in favour of women. Diversity on the Executive Committee and senior staff is of course very important and we continue to welcome new appointees with the right skills and diversity of views and perspectives. In the Club, diversity also means diversity of experience of the club and its services so we look also for a spread of experience in use of caravans, motorhomes, campervans, UK and overseas travel, club sites, CLs, rally and event usage. There will be a recruitment drive in the 2022 and we look forward to receiving applications from any member willing to give up some of their time and support the Club.

Question by Liz Lynxwiler

Why are there not more women put forward for the Committee and members to serve on the Club Council? If the club is to adapt and develop it needs to be open to encouraging more black and ethnic minority members.

The Club's Executive Committee is made up of volunteer members, elected by members at the AGM. We welcome and encourage applications for all roles in the Club from people of all backgrounds and interests. There is always more to be done in this area but the Club overall does better than many employers. For example it has only a small gender pay gap of 4% and that is in favour of women.

Diversity on the Executive Committee and senior staff is of course very important and we continue to welcome new appointees with the right skills and diversity of views and perspectives. In the Club, diversity also means diversity of experience of the club and its services so we look also for a spread of experience in use of caravans, motorhomes, campervans, UK and overseas travel, club sites, CLs, rally and event usage. There will be a recruitment drive in the 2022 and we look forward to receiving applications from any member willing to give up some of their time and support the Club.

Question by Hugh Gilbride

Why did the Club choose to ignore the wishes of the majority (60% - source regional manager) of club members and open toilet and shower facilities during covid thereby increasing the chances of catching covid?

I think you are wrongly informed. Initially, our survey research found the majority of members said they would not tour unless toilet blocks were open. Sites were considerably less busy when facilities were not available. We followed every devolved government guidance on opening facilities at all times. Site staff and members have been kept safe by our procedures and protocols. In addition, there remained the recommendation to use your own facilities if it was felt you wished to protect yourself further.

Question by Kevin Scott

Has the Club ever considered secret camper roles, perhaps on volunteer basis? Having visited many sites, all have mainly good practices but this does vary and some practices I've encountered have been very confusing to say the least. I've not really seen poor practice. There could be an opportunity for more objective assessment and review of sites from a customer view point ,perhaps on a more formal framework. Reviews at present are very subjective.

As a Club we don't generally use 'secret campers' or 'mystery shoppers' for the campsites network as we have so much constructive feedback from members that helps us shape each part of the Club moving forward.

We gather member feedback in a variety of ways, on an ongoing basis - for UK Sites, Experience Freedom, Overseas travel services, Cover & Insurance and the Club website experience we ask members to complete an insights survey. We normally ask our newer members to also complete a 'New Member' insights survey based on their first experiences with the Club.

We also use a mix of research surveys, complaints and compliments received, correspondence into the Club Magazine and of course our frontline staff in the contact centre (who are mystery shopped) or on our campsites, plus published ratings and reviews (Trustpilot) and our social media channels (Club Together, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). In addition to this plethora of member insights and feedback we send out a post-stay survey, inviting all of our guests to tell us about their experiences on the UK campsite network.

This year have already had over 60,000 replies. Each month, our teams review these reports by campsite to identify areas for improvement and also to recognise those members of staff who have delivered fantastic customer service to our members and guests.

Question by Laura Johnston