Question

Age concessions; CAMC appear resistant to implementing. Why? Doing so would increase pitch usage. Pitch uptake this year is well down, predominantly, I suggest, due to what many consider inappropriate increases in pitch/night costs. Current mid-week discounts are insufficient to attract members. The Club's attitude to age concessions is preventing increased pitch use and potentially encouraging membership drift to other clubs who've seen the light on age concessions.

Question by Paul Moon, answered at the AGM

Response

The Club has always operated under the ethos that all members are equal and the Club should work for the benefit of the membership as a whole not just the individual member. The Club doesn't provide an age-related price reduction as we believe the fairest approach is to provide the best price possible for all campsites, available to be booked by all members.

The Club does provide special offers and price promotions throughout the year which has helped members save c.£800k during 2023. Often our price promotions are available during the middle of the week - supporting members who are able to be more flexible. Our recently launched Price Drop for 2024 across 1.5 million pitch nights and the 2024 Getaways offer of an additional 10% off stays booked in 2023 for 2024 are examples of us reducing prices wherever we can.

Question

I appreciate that this Club has its roots in caravanning but with the current growth in motorhomes, how do the members feel the Club should change for the future, if at all? Given that the elected members are predominantly caravanners, how would we go about any change given the different needs of motorhomers without some motorhome members on the committee?

Question by Michael Grant, answered at the AGM

Response

Several members of the Executive Committee own motorhomes, and among our Nominated members, who are integral to Club Council, we find a diverse representation of our membership. This includes campervanners and roof tent enthusiasts. It's important to note that Club Council serves as the consultative body of members, providing valuable guidance to the Executive Committee. With a total of 30 Nominated Members, 15 members of the Executive, and many motorhome and campervan users in the Sites and Accommodation Users, Technical, Events and Finance and Management committees, our membership base is comprehensively represented in the governance structure.

Question

Pandemic diseases remain as the highest potential risk in all LRF/RRP community risk registers across the UK. What has the CAMC done to ensure its business continuity plan is robust enough to deal with any future pandemic diseases and what has the CAMC learned from the previous COVID-19 virus that would ensure the CAMC would still function successfully with as little business disruption as possible in the event of another outbreak?

Question by Stewart Edgar

Response

We have a business continuity plan, and risk register which are reviewed regularly. We are able to deploy remote working, have protocols to operate campsites using social distancing and have remote training and development capacity. We have a financial reserves policy and revolving credit facility to deal with loss of income in the event we are required to close.

Question

Why have an election when only one person is nominated for the positions? Also where and when are nominations for the posts published so that any member of the Club can be put forward for election? With the current arrangements, it is not a democratic Club.

Question by Gerald Ferguson

 

Response

The members of the Executive Committee are elected in line with the Club Bye-Laws. The Club Bye-Laws are available for all members to access on the Club website and printed in the Sites Directory & Handbook. The notice for nominations was printed in the July Club magazine on page 16 and sent to all members.

Also, please refer to Club Bye-Law 17:

17. Nominations for office:

17.1 Any two Full Members (one being a proposer and one a seconder) may nominate any Nominee member of the Club Council to be a member of the Executive Committee by signing and delivering to the Club written notice in such form as may be prescribed for that purpose by the Executive Committee, together with a notice signed by the member concerned of his willingness to be appointed. A person so nominated need not be eligible at the time of the nomination provided that he is eligible at the time the General Meeting is held or is deemed to be eligible by application of Article 11.1.

17.2 Nominations must be received by the Director General not later than eight weeks before the date of the meeting at which the appointment is to be made.

There are regular advertisements for members to come forward and become a Nominated Member of Club Council. These appear in the Club magazine and on various social platforms. The last round of applications was held in January 2023, when nine members were selected to join. If you are keen to become a Nominated member of Club Council, please look out for further advertisements or please send a covering letter and a CV to governance@camc.com. As the Executive Committee are directors of the Club we are particularly keen to have members come forward with a business background/understanding, but we look forward to receiving all applications.

Questions

Given the number of dogs members now bring to our Club’s sites, has the thought of charging members for this benefit been considered?

Question by Robert Wormleighton

Given the recorded increase in dog ownership over recent years, is the Club considering charging per dog? Club sites provide canine facilities which must come with considerable costs. Surely those that use them should contribute towards these costs. Thank you.

Question by Phil Nevett

Response

Often owning a dog is one of the key drivers for beginning a lifetime of touring as our hobby provides such wonderful access to the great outdoors. Therefore in order to provide an inclusive membership, accessible to all, we have no current intention to charge extra for dogs.

Question

Many Club members enjoy the simple approach to caravanning and, having invested in an outfit equipped with all mod cons, don't need showers etc on site. How important does the Club think it is to maintain a proportion of "non-facility" sites such as Slinfold, Broomfield Farm, and St Agnes? Will the Club be investing in any more such sites in the future?

Question by Michael Price

Response

As a Club that reflects the many different types of members and touring behaviours of our members, we believe that choice is a very important part of the Club today and in the future. 'Non-facility' campsites have always been part of the UK campsite portfolio and will continue to be so in the future. We do however have to ensure we support the wider membership through sensible and reasonable financial management and as such, all of our campsites need a sufficient level of member visits in relation to the costs to operate in order to ensure they continue to be viable.

For those members who don't want to plug in or use the facilities provided on a Club campsite, we have a small number of "eco pitches" across the network. In addition, the Club is actively looking at alternative 'eco' options; for example, at Wyatts Covert we have introduced a 'metering trial' giving members the choice not to plug into electricity or to only pay for the electricity that they use. Early signs of this trial are very encouraging with the majority of members saving money when staying at the campsite. Alternative 'non-electric' pitch initiatives are also underway and will be communicated in the coming months.

Question

Will the Club reconsider their decision of not allowing the use of facilities by members not staying at Club sites, such as chemical toilet disposal, to allow use on the production of membership cards and a reasonable fee thus bringing membership advantages in line with those enjoyed by members of other clubs?

Question by Kate Todman, answered at the AGM

Response

We do of course offer great facilities for tourers who are staying with us at our sites overnight. Within England & Wales, "wild camping" is illegal, which is different to some countries in mainland Europe. We do not believe it is appropriate to offer any services that may encourage this behaviour. We are reviewing what options may be available in Scotland, where the legislation is different, however there is much public criticism of inconsiderate wild camping. For this reason the Club always encourages responsible camping behaviour and use of approved campsites.

Question

Use of mowers: Could wardens on Club sites have some guidance on their use of large, noisy sit on mowers? For example, do not mow near units for more than15 minutes at a time due to noise pollution and disturbing those on holiday?. Also, encourage wardens to consider larger “no mow” areas - grass is not the enemy and every site could be given standards with regard to wildflower sowing?

Question by Helen Grady

Response

Our site management teams are advised on trying to ensure the maintenance work required in undertaken in such a way as to minimise the impact to our guests staying on site, however, during busy periods and through the main growing season, it is often difficult to completely eradicate this. We are currently reviewing our Biodiversity areas, and will further refine this over the coming years in order to provide the right balance. In addition, when replacing our current petrol based hand tools, we are supplying electric based versions, which significantly reduce the noise generated.

Question

Please explain why it costs why 89p/kw to charge 11kw phev whilst 300kw in full evs are charged 30p/Kw because of £9 per day flat rate at CAMC sites. This clearly inequitable. Raised this previously was told CAMC sites can't know battery size of all EVs so issue cannot be addressed. All bookings require outfit/motorhome size details. easy for ev owners to provide battery details.. Charge per kWh used can be introduced.

Question by Desmond Knowles

Response

As our EHU bollards do not contain meters currently, the £9 is a flat convenience fee for being able to use to charge EV's. We do recognise that this is not the ideal solution, and would recommend that EV users either use the public charging network, or dedicated EV chargers that are available at selected campsites. We are unable to introduce a charge per kWh without a metered environment. We are trialling a metering solution at our Wyatts Covert campsite, which charges based upon usage, and this will be reviewed in due course. In addition, we are installing further dedicated EV chargers as we develop our campsites through major works.

Question

The number of outlets that sell LPG/autogas for motorhome underslung tanks or refillable gas bottles is becoming less and it can be difficult to find an outlet within a reasonable travel distance. Are there any plans for the Club to install such facilities as an enlightened Marquis Leisure has started doing?

Question by Andrew Forbes

Response

As you mention, supply is dwindling, likely due to demand levels dropping. As the number of members that utilise this method is relatively low, it is difficult to provide a viable solution that is in the best interest of the wider membership. In addition there are safety, infrastructure and economic risks. For these reasons, we are not currently intending to provide such facilities.

Question

Please explain why Club sites are being closed early or opening later or sites that were all year are not open in winter. I do use these sites in winter, it is quieter and cheaper we are being denied this opportunity.

As members we should be consulted on this very important change by direct communication to each member not under the radar.

Question by Ingrid Hyde

 

Response

We regularly review the season lengths of our Club campsites to ensure we are operating our network of campsites effectively, and in line with levels of demand from the membership. At times this may mean the season lengths and number of campsites open changes. 

It's not a decision that is made quickly and without careful consideration. In light of changes to booking trends, and the forward nights booked for this and previous years, together with the relentless cost inflation that we have experienced across all of our cost lines, we've had to make some difficult decisions to ensure we're operating the UK campsite network as efficiently as possible, with the Executive Committee being briefed appropriately.

Whilst we consider the needs of all our members, we have to ensure we support the wider membership through sensible and reasonable financial management and as such, we have changed the season length at a number of our campsites in order to mitigate some of these cost pressures, and of course our seasonal prices will have been adjusted accordingly.

Question

Why do you not allow members to book a particular pitch when making a reservation? A lot of successful commercial sites offer this facility, I am finding myself drawn to them because they offer this facility. I have been banging this drum for many years, I think you are falling behind what a lot of members want.

Question by David Cross

Response

Thanks to the new booking system introduced last autumn, members are now able to pre-book all pitch surface types. 

Further development options are being evaluated and will be scoped once the system is fully embedded and member opinion on any changes have been canvased. One option could be to pre-allocate the specific pitch location and number within each campsite during the booking process. This would allow members who like to choose a pitch near an amenities block;  the playground; the quietest corner of the campsite; and others who like to catch the afternoon or morning sun to make their choice before arrival. We are in the early stages of embedding the new system so further developments will be evaluated in 2024.

Question

When will the Club change it's ridiculous rules for seasonal pitches? i.e. 

1. Not being able to leave an awning up when you leave even if just for one day and it is All Season Awning. 
2. People using the caravan having to pay which is double charging. 
3. Visitors to a seasonal pitch pay an adult price.

Others allow awnings to stay up, visitors and use by others for FREE!!

Question by Helen Thomas

Response

The storms and floods earlier this month are precisely an example of why we ask that awnings are removed. In high winds flying debris from within awnings and the poles from untethered awnings are a hazard to people and property. If they are left erected during a storm the site staff do not have the time to take them down for members as they have other important safety tasks to perform and in times of storm or flood it may not be safe or convenient for members to return to site to do it themselves. Damage to other peoples property and the safety of members and staff on site takes priority over convenience.

Question

Has it ever been considered that the current pitch charging method of pitch plus two adults penalises the single person, who is only going to use half of the resources.

Would it not be more equitable to charge per pitch and then per person?

Question by Alan Billingham

 

Response

We do not have a price charging method of 'pitch plus two adults'. All pitches are charged at pitch plus one adult. If you use the booking system on the website or in the App the default price is a pitch plus one adult. There is of course an option to add more adults or children to the booking.

We don’t charge an all inclusive set price for a pitch plus maximum volume of guests.  Instead, we only charge for the pitch, plus the people using the pitch. This helps keep prices as low as possible for single adults and couples.

Question

Commercial Sites price 2 adults per booking. Why does it cost an extra £12 to add my Wife to a Club booking?

Question by Stephen Walker

 

Response

The Club charges for pitches, adults and children separately, with infants (under five) free. All adults added to the booking are charged the same amount (for example the second adult is charged the same as the first adult added to the booking).  We don’t charge an all inclusive set price for a pitch plus maximum volume of guests.  Instead, we only charge for the pitch, plus the people using the pitch. This helps keep prices as low as possible for single adults and couples.

Questions

Why have your pitch fees gone up so much when most independent sites are relatively cheaper with similar or better facilities than the club. I am reconsidering joining again next year.

Question by Jack Gilling

Why are Club site costs per night escalating even more this year? Some sites even mid-week are now over £50 a night, and weekends even more. Occupancy now seems to be down due to this and long standing members giving up membership. It is now becoming totally un economic to use Club sites most of the time.

Question by Daniel Flynn

Why have you increased pitch prices by so much, private sites are so much cheaper? 

Question by Kevin Lynch

Response

For context, during 2020 to 2021 the Government introduced a lower VAT rate which reduced VAT from 20% to 5%. The Club passed this reduction on to members in the form of price reductions; this saved members over £10m in site fees. 

The VAT reduction ended in March 2022, which also unfortunately coincided with the energy price increase and cost of living challenge, affecting so many of us. The Club tried very hard to hold back as much of the external cost increases from members as possible. However, our energy costs have risen like everyone else's (business energy prices do not have a price cap) and electricity costs are now in excess of £14m per annum (a 300% increase from pre-pandemic levels). About 80% of this is consumed directly by members on site via Electric Hookups, so it was inevitable that site fees had to increase - albeit not to the same level as our costs. 

The combined effect of the reversal of the VAT reduction and the energy cost related increase to site pricing created the perception that site fees had increased by unusually high amounts, whilst at the same time the cost of living challenge raised member sensitivity to site fees. 

That's why during 2023 we lowered our deposit to just 10%, and ran many great value offers which saved members c.£800,000. For 2024, we have lowered the price by up to 15% on 1.5million pitch nights, plus, we are encouraging members to book before the end of 2023 to save a further 10% at 60 campsites! 

We will continue to do all we can to provide members with the best value possible, and provide accessible pricing for all members.

Question

Please explain why a motorhome must pay extra for an accompanying car when a caravan takes the same space and they do not pay for their car. This always feels like daylight robbery and is something that this not always extra on other campsites.

Question by Trudy Roberts

Response

Motorhomes do not have to pay extra for an accompanying car. Members are able to make a UK campsite booking, select their 'Main Vehicle Type' as a motorhome, and then select 'Towing' a car. Both the motorhome and the car are then included in the pitch price. There is however an option to "Add Extra Car" to the booking for a price of £2 per night, but this would be for a second car and is applicable to both caravan and motorhome bookings.

Question

The CAMC seem unwilling to provide a data-driven and acceptable response to support the many price increase questions that members are asking, this includes pitch and storage fees. Can the CAMC respond to a simpler question that could help reduce the growing and inevitable loss of members:

For a member who pays for storage, provide that member with at least four nights pitch allocation at their chosen locations to include storage location?

Question by Andy Banks

Response

The Club has storage locations across the UK for the benefit of those members who require a safe and reliable location to store their outfit (caravan/motorhome). The Club reviews the price of storage annually to ensure that it covers the cost of running each facility, reflects good value for the membership and is inline with the market. As a membership organisation, all surplus is reinvested back into the Club, therefore the cost of providing members who purchase storage with a free site nights would need to be recovered by increasing the cost of the storage. As a Club, we don't believe this is in the interest of those members who currently use and rely upon the Club’s storage facilities to look after their outfits.

Question

Living in County Durham, the Club offers very little choice of sites within an hour of home. What plans if any do the Club have for future site openings in the North East of England.  At the moment the choice is poor at best. I tend to spend more money/nights on independent sites when choosing a weekend break.

Question by David Smith

Response

We are always looking for new campsites, and indeed offer the largest single network. The Club also offers the largest network of CLs. There are twelve Club campsites within 52 miles (as the crow flies) of Durham.

Question

Why was WiFi access disabled in March, before a new system was put in place? I appreciate sites had hotspots, but these were generally outside, and therefore it was not easy to use a laptop. I know most sites are now connected, but it was a most frustrating summer. WiFi access is important for accessing local information, as well as receiving emails. It became impossible to work away. Thank you.

Question by Bridget Learmouth

Response

The Club was in advanced discussions with BT at the beginning of 2023 to provide a full fibre service wherever possible on the Club campsite network. The new service has vastly superior speeds. Unfortunately the previous provider was not able to provide a handover process with secure payments, and therefore we provided a free hotspot until the new installation was complete. As the Director General mentioned in his report, the Club has now upgraded the hotspots to full fibre on 125 campsites and a premium upgrade option at 100 campsites as well as a hotspot at the remaining campsites which are continuing to be upgraded.

Question

Why can’t all the sites have full WiFi? It’s 2023 and I find it hard to believe that a lot of sites only have it around reception area,the sites are not the cheapest around and should meet a certain criteria WiFi being one of them. Thanks

Question by Steve Jones

Response

Installing WiFi access points on the main reception building is relatively straightforward, with a surface to mount it on and power readily available. More remote installation often requires a concrete base with a mounting pole, as well as power to be installed, quadrupling the cost of each access point location. Many such points are needed to ensure reasonably wide coverage. We constantly review the campsite installations, as we appreciate the convenience of access at the pitch, but it is simply not cost effective to cover every single pitch at every campsite and still keep the free version of the service, as well as keeping the costs reasonable for the Premium version. On a handful of campsites despite our strenuous efforts and investments in the past few years, there is still no fast fibre service available and so it is not sensible to install access points for the slower service we are able to provide. We are adding fibre connections as soon as they become available through our partnership with BT.

Question

The Club's website plays a crucial role in our membership booking process and serves as a vital resource for both current and potential members. I've noticed that it frequently goes offline for maintenance. Could you please provide insight into the Club's perspective on the website's uptime? Specifically, can you explain why it experiences frequent maintenance-related downtime, and what measures are being taken to remedy, if the Club considers it a concern?

Question by Ted Howard-Jones

Response

We regularly conduct maintenance in the least popular usage windows for the CAMC site - that window is shown to be from 10pm to 6am. With updates to both the functionality of the site and critical security updates from the manufacturers of both the software and the operating systems, we are often performing this maintenance several times per week. Very occasionally we will experience genuine system failures, which will cause an outage beyond these windows, but we strive to ensure that all planned work is late at night or early in the morning.

Question

What is the CAMC’s long term strategy in relation to the ban of sales in 2035 of diesel and electric vehicles?

I’m a Motorhomer and whilst the engine meets Euro 6 standards, I am concerned about the future of our beloved hobby; and the investment made in the purchase of the van.

Of course I’m sympathetic to the environmental impact and recognise global changes are needed. I don’t believe the technology or infrastructure is ready though.

Are CAMC lobbying the government in relation to the impact of this legislation which one could easily imagine affecting thousands of its members?

Question by Martin Houldsworth

Response

The UK Government has recently (September 2023) announced that previous plans to end the sale of cars and vans with conventional petrol and diesel engines from 2030 have been delayed to 2035.

However, between 2024 and 2030, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate will also apply in England, Scotland and Wales. (It is planned that it will also apply in Northern Ireland, but that cannot happen while the Northern Ireland Assembly is currently suspended and unable to pass the equivalent legislation). The main impact of this is that car and van manufacturers will be obliged to sell an increasing proportion of vehicles which are zero emission, which practically will mean battery electric vehicles in that timescale. The proportion of ZEVs starts at 22% of sales for cars, rising to 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. For vans, the initial figure is 10% in 2024, rising to 70% in 2030 and 100% in 2035. Manufacturers will face heavy fines if they breach those limits.

The Club has, and continues, to highlight to government and industry the challenges that this causes for those towing caravans, particularly larger, heavier ones. It should be noted that there is no restriction on the purchase or use of secondhand vehicles. The Club regularly tests ZEVs for towing to assess the pace of development of these vehicles as alternatives and provides feedback to manufacturers on where capabilities need to improve further.

Following lobbying of government from both the motorhome sector and the Club, motorhomes have been granted exemption from the ZEV mandate, meaning that conventional diesel (or petrol) vehicles can continue to be sold until 2035. This gives the industry longer to develop a zero emission future for this sector, as the current state of development of zero emission vans is not adequate for mass-market motorhome conversion. The Club continues to monitor developments in this sector closely. Again, there is no restriction on the right to buy or use secondhand diesel or petrol motorhomes.