NRA chief taken away by police

[targetman]

TRM...you are right:- "Bisley cannot exist on victorian charm anymore,we need new facilities,new accommodation,new attitudes............it's a nice quaint little place run bad badly"

There have been good changes, the road system being a good example, the firing points and target numbers etc.,.......however.....if the NRA goes ahead, as seems it will, with increases in Clubhouse ground rents of the order of 800% then those increases are going to passed on to the members and affiliated clubs......I cannot see that the members of my club will welcome the letter at the next renewal advising them that their annual membership fee has gone up another £80+ to cover affiliation fees....

The law of 'diminishing returns' starts to apply.......remember, Marks & Spencer built a massive retail empire on the mantra of 'pile it high sell it cheap'....they only got into financial trouble when they started to increase prices to capture a different customer base......the customers stayed away.

The NRA needs to be very careful that they do not drive away the impecunious shooter and the shooters of the future.....shooting should not be a sport only for the better off, that would be against the whole principal of the NRA charter.

[John MH]

I think its a case of clubs being required to pay a fair rent, its been suggested elsewhere that they were not paying a fair rent and that charges had not increased for some considerable time as well as a disparity between what each club was paying. A phased increase to a fair rent over a number of years would be more manageable for clubs to pay than a massive hike in one go, however, mismanagement led to the rents not being increased when they should have been and further mismanagement would be not to increase them to a fair level now.

[Sim G]

"Fair level", by comparison with where? On another similar site offering similar facilities? There isn't one. Or on the rental costs of a 1600 sq/ft "office" within 5 miles of the camp...?

Perhaps it's all just got too big, too complicated and in too much of a mess to actually sort out.

Running Man just needs to shut up now as he'll never, ever be able to better his comment, which is nigh on perfect.....

"Bisley cannot exist on victorian charm anymore,we need new facilities,new accommodation,new attitudes............it's a nice quaint little place run bad badly"

[John MH]

Fair rent IMHO would be one that had increased with inflation from when it was originally set. You can't compare Bisley Camp to any other facility as there isn’t one, however, since rents were originally set all other costs associated with maintaining the camp have gone up with inflation so why not the rents paid by clubs and other residents. If the proper increase due to inflation is too large to bear in one year then perhaps it should be staged to allow clubs to plan for and manage the extra cost.

[targetman]

"Fair rent IMHO would be one that had increased with inflation from when it was originally set. You can't compare Bisley Camp to any other facility as there isn’t one, however, since rents were originally set all other costs associated with maintaining the camp have gone up with inflation so why not the rents paid by clubs and other residents"

Correct.......however, the same thinking has been used in our local area where a large corporation owns a number of loacl shopping parades....they decided a few years after purchasing the properties that the rents charged had not kept pace with inflation and that they should rise to meet a more up to the minute level........net result is a parade 20 shops not more than 30 yards from where I am now where 12 are empty and therefore producing no income for the landlord.....that does not make any economic sense at all..... this pattern is repeated all around this area and no doubt elsewhere.

The failures of the NRA management in the past will be repeated if the current management persue a campaign of 'making up for lost time' by trying to increasing revenues all in one go.

[John MH]

That's why I suggested a stage increase approach. Bringing it up to level where camp maintenance costs are covered as a minimum must be a priority and the desire to improve shooting facilities with much needed capital investment will only come if the camp is properly managed and financed.

[Sim G]

Fair rent IMHO would be one that had increased with inflation from when it was originally set. You can't compare Bisley Camp to any other facility as there isn’t one, however, since rents were originally set all other costs associated with maintaining the camp have gone up with inflation so why not the rents paid by clubs and other residents. If the proper increase due to inflation is too large to bear in one year then perhaps it should be staged to allow clubs to plan for and manage the extra cost.

Just because rents weren't increased in the past, that is no excuse to try and recover that lost revenue by huge hikes now. That is no justification. To inform people that rents and services from now on will rise in line with inflation annually, is fair. Using the folly of previous mismanagement to raise rents by several hundred percent is bordering on extortion, given the unique nature of the place.

[John MH]

Starting from a very low base point may not allow a reasonable recovery or the actual costs of camp maintenance. Not increasing rents in the past as they should have been would suggest clubs and residents have benefited if not profited from the NRA's failure to act in a financially responsible way. How they address to problem is the issue, massive hikes will possibly only see clubs close and residents leave but just applying inflation increases from now (where rents are not at a fair and reasonable rate) is not going to balance the books.

[ovenpaa]

Many years ago I was a member of a club that felt they might not be being fully charged for a particular service they used so they made an allowance every year. In the even that they were charged for the service the money was ready and meanwhile had been making interest. Not an ideal practice however it worked for them.

[kennyc]

Fair rent IMHO would be one that had increased with inflation from when it was originally set. You can't compare Bisley Camp to any other facility as there isn’t one, however, since rents were originally set all other costs associated with maintaining the camp have gone up with inflation so why not the rents paid by clubs and other residents. If the proper increase due to inflation is too large to bear in one year then perhaps it should be staged to allow clubs to plan for and manage the extra cost.

Just because rents weren't increased in the past, that is no excuse to try and recover that lost revenue by huge hikes now. That is no justification. To inform people that rents and services from now on will rise in line with inflation annually, is fair. Using the folly of previous mismanagement to raise rents by several hundred percent is bordering on extortion, given the unique nature of the place.

wasn't that what John said in the first place ?