IAM membership fee increase...

[martine]

Heads up for those IAM members here...you may be unaware the IAM Council is meeting in 2 weeks time to approve a proposed £10 increase in the IAM annual membership fee.

If it goes ahead it will apply from this January and make it £28 per year. Similarly the 'Skill for Life' fee is also set to increase from £99 to £109 (to £119 for bikers) and also most worryingly, the under 26 reduced fee (£79) will be scrapped due to it allegedly being illegal under age discrimination law

Personally I still think £28 is OK (even though it comes hot in the heals of a price increase) but I find it difficult to believe the IAM can't find a way to reduce the fee for the age group most in need of advanced driving tuition.

I'd also like to know what IAM HQ is doing to reduce overheads (central London office is a prime candidate I'd have thought).

Anyone wishing to express an opinion about the increases should contact their group commitee and/or their Divisional Council Member (if they know who that is) as they do want feedback before the meeting in 2 weeks.

[crr003]

Thanks for that - our Sec is on holiday.

£17.50 to £28 - 60% increase? Can we blame Gordon Brown?

Yoof discount - that's a blow.

I'll raise this at my group.

(PS - Without looking as I CBA, is this anywhere on the IAM website?)

[martine]

(PS - Without looking as I CBA, is this anywhere on the IAM website?)

Not that I know of - the only reason we found out was because Mike Lynne (Our Council member) was at our Regional Liason Forum meeting last Saturday and mentioned it to the assembled throng (what is the collective noun for a group of IAM commitee members? Steady... )

[ScoobyChris]

the under 26 reduced fee (£79) will be scrapped due to it allegedly being illegal under age discrimination law

That is PC gone mad! Next they'll be scrapping 18-30 holidays

Will be interested to hear the outcome of this....

Chris

[ROG]

The current DSA consultation meetings are still going on and the DSA have said that they want to promote and encourage post test training so maybe they will put money where their mouth is and pay half the cost of the £100+......................................

[AnalogueAndy]

I'd also like to know what IAM HQ is doing to reduce overheads (central London office is a prime candidate I'd have thought).

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Agree to an extent, I don't know what you think but from where I sit we do get a good service from HQ and I wouldn't want to see that jeopardised.

Re. the building, I seem to remember we bought it as "an investment" a few years back, if we really are that skint perhaps the time has come to flog it and move out to the provinces?

Still, in comparison with other organisations I belong to, £28 is reasonable.

60% is a big hike though and is bad for PR. I can't remember when the last increase was, it would have been better to have increased it by a smaller % progressively year on year.

I understand that 'most' IAM Members are not members of their local group and that those who are pay a wide range of fees.

Does this present an opportunity to overhaul the whole 'local group' arrangements? Encouraging participation at grass routes local level is obviously key to the IAM.

Has the time come for HQ to include membership of an elected local group in with the Annual Membership?

[martine]

Agree to an extent, I don't know what you think but from where I sit we do get a good service from HQ and I wouldn't want to see that jeopardised.

Ahhh...lets just say they could be a lot better (from where I sit).

Does this present an opportunity to overhaul the whole 'local group' arrangements? Encouraging participation at grass routes local level is obviously key to the IAM.

Has the time come for HQ to include membership of an elected local group in with the Annual Membership?

Yes indeed that is one of the things we are feeding back - integrated membership is long overdue. If the local groups had part of the IAM national membership fee automatically forwarded to them it would make the whole system easier. We are forever getting associates asking questions about why they have to pay 2 fees to be a local member. The boost in fees could help smaller groups no end as there are a lot of IAM National members who don't joing their local group.

The only downside is the local groups wouldn't be able to determine their own fees but as long as representation to IAM HQ was democratic I think it's workable.

[jont]

Out of interest, what does the £28/yr get you as a member? RoSPA we get our retests paid for but with IAM you're not doing that.

[ROG]

Out of interest, what does the £28/yr get you as a member? RoSPA we get our retests paid for but with IAM you're not doing that.

We get a 'really nice' glossy mag 3 times a year and access to a 'really modern' members forum on the IAM website and we can put IAM stickers on our vehicles

[crr003]

We are forever getting associates asking questions about why they have to pay 2 fees to be a local member. The boost in fees could help smaller groups no end as there are a lot of IAM National members who don't joing their local group.

Local fee is £10. That will be £38 from next year (national+local). That's a fair bit of money for some members for three magazines and some discounts, as a fair few local members drift away.
So how would they sell this? "The fee of £17.50 is going up to £38, but you can go along to a musty room and watch a slide show once a month."

(OK - some groups put on good shows - (even using Chris Gilbert ), but I exaggerate for comic effect!)

[martine]

Out of interest, what does the £28/yr get you as a member? RoSPA we get our retests paid for but with IAM you're not doing that.

Good question...actually you get access to a number of member benefits probably the most attractive being the IAM Surety Insurance scheme. I was sceptical but the insurance on my Focus ST was cheapest of the ones I tried (bearing in mind I had no NCB being an additional car) - they basically said they would beat any quote I forwarded to them. Others include discount on RAC/AA cover (but then that's pretty common) and things like discount on tyres, car rental etc - not that I've tired them.

You get a magazine 3 times per year, access to members days which have included ProDrive recently. You also have to be a National member to be a local group member (clever huh?).

[MGF]

the under 26 reduced fee (£79) will be scrapped due to it allegedly being illegal under age discrimination law

That is PC gone mad! Next they'll be scrapping 18-30 holidays

Will be interested to hear the outcome of this....

Chris

Sounds to me like a tabloid headline... Age discrimination applies to employment, education and vocational training. I am not sure the IAM counts as any of these but assuming it is vocational training then only unjustified discrimination is unlawful.

A fair response to a legitimate aim is justifiable. Possibly, for example, if it can be demonstrated that under 26s are under-represented in the organisation or they are particularly in need of its services.

...actually you get access to a number of member benefits probably the most attractive being the IAM Surety Insurance scheme. I was sceptical but the insurance on my Focus ST was cheapest of the ones I tried (bearing in mind I had no NCB being an additional car) - they basically said they would beat any quote I forwarded to them.

That has to be a worthwhile benefit in itself. If they guarantee to beat any quote you are bound to save money. Having said that this would be a huge increase (relatively) and not good for its reputation. I am particularly concerned about scrapping the reduce SfL package for under 26s.

[ScoobyChris]

You also have to be a National member to be a local group member (clever huh?).

That's nice and cunning. RoSPA have something similar and I joined my local group and then after taking my test had to pay annual membership to RoSPA HQ which pushed the membership cost up significantly. I'm not an active member of my local RoSPA group so Ive let my membership lapse and just keep up my national membership which is £20 a year covers a (bi-monthly?) Road Safety newspaper, access to a RoSPA mailing list and 1/3 towards my retest fee.

Not sure about other groups, but it would be nice for them to present the costs up front to explain that joining the local group is not the same as joining RoSPA. I can see that having two fees allows flexibility for local groups to charge different amounts to recover their costs/events/newsletters, but I think I'd prefer to pay a single fee and not have to worry about maintaining two DD's?

Chris

[Silk]

Out of interest, what does the £28/yr get you as a member? RoSPA we get our retests paid for but with IAM you're not doing that.

Good question...actually you get access to a number of member benefits probably the most attractive being the IAM Surety Insurance scheme. I was sceptical but the insurance on my Focus ST was cheapest of the ones I tried (bearing in mind I had no NCB being an additional car) - they basically said they would beat any quote I forwarded to them. Others include discount on RAC/AA cover (but then that's pretty common) and things like discount on tyres, car rental etc - not that I've tired them.

You get a magazine 3 times per year, access to members days which have included ProDrive recently. You also have to be a National member to be a local group member (clever huh?).

The annual membership is worth it for Surety alone. They beat my best quote by over 50 quid and I did a hell of a lot of shopping around. I do think, on balance, that a jump to 28 quid would be a bad move. I agree that having HQ in one of the world's most expensive areas just adds to the insult and I would consider not renewing my membership on principle.

[Angus]

You also have to be a National member to be a local group member (clever huh?).

I'm not sure that you do. My group has "associate" members for those who can't/don't want to pass the test, but want to be involved or come to meetings. I think we charge a slightly higher fee than for full members