The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Bazza55
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Bazza55 »

Yes the CTC is vulnerable, but it doesn't have to be.
British Cycling membership has now overtaken the CTC and stands at over 100,000, I think the CTC is stagnant at around 70,000. In my city the number has dropped from 963 in 2013 to 856 in 2014, in a year that the Tour de France had a stage finish here.
What we do have here and BC does not, is an active committed Member Group who are keen to increase membership and activities in the club's name and they are all unpaid volunteers. Trouble is that CTC HQ are very slow to realise the potential of this and volunteers can only do so much due to work, family and other commitments.
So why doesn't the CTC employ recruitment officers around the country? One in each locality, London, South West, Wales, Yorks and North East, Scotland etc. The job of the recruitment officer would be to work with the local Member Group staging invitation rides, much publicised city charity rides, Women's day rides. in the various towns and cities in their patch. They could also arrange displays and discussions in the Universities, explaining benefits of the club to students and recruiting new members at the same time.
Now someone will tell me that the club can't afford this and I would say "Why not?" When the average member pays £25 each a year. If handled successfully the project would pay for itself with increase membership.
So yes the CTC is vulnerable. so why doesn't the CTC help the members prevent this?
Ru88ell
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Ru88ell »

Another reason the CTC is vulnerable is this; the membership department is a total shambles. It was in 2007 and it is now.
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gaz
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by gaz »

In 2007 the CTC Membership department was run via a third party, Avarto. Towards the end of 2013 it was brought back in house, IME that wasn't without some issues but I'd hope that things have settled down by now.

What makes you feel it is currently a shambles?
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Bikefayre
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Bikefayre »

Have no issue with the current trend of MAMILS or people who chose to be like that, it's just means that if you do not fit into this type of cycling with a road bike that's worth more than £1500 you do not exist as a cyclist. You have no chance of riding with the CTC leaving you to read the Cycle magazine and left to potter on your bike on your own. My biggest concern is that the CTC are heading for a road bike only club despite what's read in the magazine. If I had bought a £700 MEK carbon road bike would be most welcome, with my own sorry lot, no and unlike my old non CTC club which taught me how to use a road bike have neither the knowledge or the health or even the money to run a modern road bike and no-one at the CTC is willing to help. Bike talk is a no no in my CTC club. Surely this attitude will cause the CTC to wither?
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Si
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Si »

You have no chance of riding with the CTC leaving you to read the Cycle magazine and left to potter on your bike on your own.


Sorry but: no, you are wrong. Do not assume that your experience applies to all CTC MGs - it does not.

For instance, on a Saturday morning my CTC MG puts on six rides.....from the fast lads doing a long ride at 20mph, to the laughing bunch doing a much shorter ride at under 10mph. On Sundays we have a moderately paced 40 to 60 miles, a slow 40 to 60 miles, or a beginner's/family ride that only does a few miles.

Many other CTC MGs offer similar.

If yours does not do a ride that suits you then I'd suggest that you volunteer to lead such a ride and try to attract other locals who feel as you do. If the MG don't want you to try this then you can look at forming your own group, although N.O. would be interested in hearing from you if your MG didn't want you to volunteer for them.
stuartjackson99
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by stuartjackson99 »

Interesting that in all these threads, and those on the the Chris Juden redundancy, all the comments are anti CTC management and the direction being taken, which seems to be driven by the change to charity status. And yet the majority of membership supposedly voted for the change to charity status. Who are all the charity supporters and why do they not enter the debate?
Psamathe
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Psamathe »

stuartjackson99 wrote:...all the comments are anti CTC management and the direction being taken, which seems to be driven by the change to charity status. And yet the majority of membership supposedly voted for the change to charity status. Who are all the charity supporters and why do they not enter the debate?

(My bold & italics). Before my time but others who were around then commented to imply that the majority of the membership did not vote and that it was only a minority that thus supported the change (maybe the requisite number of those voting, but, as I understand it, far from a majority of the membership).

Ian
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Steady rider »

The CTC Council meetings minutes may have some information but it seems a problem to find the more recent minutes. Can anyone provide a link?
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Vorpal »

stuartjackson99 wrote:Interesting that in all these threads, and those on the the Chris Juden redundancy, all the comments are anti CTC management and the direction being taken, which seems to be driven by the change to charity status. And yet the majority of membership supposedly voted for the change to charity status. Who are all the charity supporters and why do they not enter the debate?

It is also possible that the membership of the forum is a biased sample :wink:
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
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Mick F
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Mick F »

Psamathe wrote:
stuartjackson99 wrote:...all the comments are anti CTC management and the direction being taken, which seems to be driven by the change to charity status. And yet the majority of membership supposedly voted for the change to charity status. Who are all the charity supporters and why do they not enter the debate?

(My bold & italics). Before my time but others who were around then commented to imply that the majority of the membership did not vote and that it was only a minority that thus supported the change (maybe the requisite number of those voting, but, as I understand it, far from a majority of the membership).
My emphasis!

It was considered that because the huge majority of members who didn't vote, they had no concern one way or another.

You could argue, that unless (say) 75% of the membership votes, the vote is null and void and has to be repeated until the 75% threshold is reached . If I ruled the world, that is how all democracy systems would work.
Mick F. Cornwall
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gaz
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by gaz »

Steady rider wrote:The CTC Council meetings minutes may have some information but it seems a problem to find the more recent minutes. Can anyone provide a link?

Council Meeting Minutes.

Minutes cannot be published before their approval at the following Council Meeting. I do not know the lead in time between approval and publication. In the week heading up to Xmas I have asked when the July 2014 minutes will be available. I raised the question using the "contact us" facility on the web-page, I doubt that's the fastest method of getting an answer but it's the one that suits me.

Mick F wrote:If I ruled the world, that is how all democracy systems would work.


If one person ruled the world wouldn't that be a dictatorship system? :? Even a benign dictator is still a dictator. :wink:

stuartjackson99 wrote:Interesting that in all these threads, and those on the the Chris Juden redundancy, all the comments are anti CTC management and the direction being taken, which seems to be driven by the change to charity status. And yet the majority of membership supposedly voted for the change to charity status. Who are all the charity supporters and why do they not enter the debate?

It took two AGMs* and a Poll of the Whole Club to get the CTC to charitable status. The required majority of members (who expressed their wishes by voting) was met.

We will never know what course the CTC would have taken had it not become a charity; better, worse or more or less the same.

For the record I entered the discussion on this particular thread on 21 October 2010 and have joined in the debate on many other threads as well. My opinions are my own and are not intended to represent the opinions of CTC; other opinions are available :wink: .

* Edit - Then again it might have been three, feel free to check.
Last edited by gaz on 26 Dec 2014, 9:15pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mick F
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Mick F »

Yes Gaz, we are where we are. We will never know what things would have been like if we'd have taken the other road, and ruling the world is a very great responsibility, but someone's got to do it. :lol:

Seriously though, democracy is a terrible system if people are lax in fulling their voting duty.
Perhaps non-returned papers should be taken as No votes (the status quo), that way the Yes camp would have to work harder prior to the vote.
Mick F. Cornwall
langsett
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by langsett »

I have recently browsed the thread and there seems to be a lot of loyalty and interest in the CTC, which is great. I am very interested by comments/information where CTC is alleged to have not taken opportunities and wonder if any reason was given for this? I know the Stourbridge model was used in North Yorkshire by Wheeleasy some years ago to great success

When matters have caused concern may I ask if members have contacted the office or have they tried their local CTC councillor who is there to work with/for members?
Psamathe
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by Psamathe »

langsett wrote:When matters have caused concern may I ask if members have contacted the office or have they tried their local CTC councillor who is there to work with/for members?

I tried (on several occasions) and my e-mails were continually ignored (by National Office; not an issue a Councillor could have dealt with). One issue but when I got no response I sent again, and again and all ignored. Very un-impressive.

Ian
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Re: The CTC - is it vulnerable?

Post by bertgrower »

It appears from casual observer that Cycling UK has cleared out much of the dead wood and back wood men from the board of trustees and recruiting a number important members of staff to broadcast it message across the UK.


http://www.cyclinguk.org/about/vacancies

How long to we think before we catch British Cycling up to take our rightful place home of the cyclist in the UK?
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