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BCA finances

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Stuart France

Active member
The following are some examples of sport national governing bodies that are registered as companies limited by guarantee. This selection is a bit Wales orientated but that's because of where I live. British Mountaineering Council, Ramblers Association, Lawn Tennis Association, Swim Wales,Hockey Wales, Welsh Althletics, Welsh Cycling, Welsh Badminton, Welsh Rugby Union, ... the list goes on and on. Someone could make similar lists for the other home nations.

In the caving and mine exploring world there are a few large clubs set up as companies, and some access control bodies like Charterhouse Caving Company and Cave Access Ltd. My climbing club owns four huts and, hey, it's a company too! Even the PDCMG is trying to turn itself into a company.

Presumably all of the above and many more similar bodies, did what they did for good reasons of which BCA seems blissfully unaware.
 
andrewmcleod

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
Stuart France said:
Presumably all of the above and many more similar bodies, did what they did for good reasons of which BCA seems blissfully unaware.
Click to expand...
Or which don't apply to the BMC?

Setting up as a company is not without cost, additional legal hurdles and effort, so what's the advantage for the BCA?
 
S

Stuart France

Active member
Just in from BCA, its draft accounts for last year to 31/12/2023 for adoption at the council meeting tomorrow night. BCA itself spent absolutely nothing directly on:
Publications & Information
Meetings & Conference
Conservation & Access
Equipment & Techniques
Caver Training
Radon Monitoring

I appreciate that total BCA financial support to Regional Caving Councils exceeded £12,000 and that the RCCs carry out some of the above activities within their own areas so it is a matter for debate as to whether more should be done at national level. After all, BCA does have subcommittees and/or officers with titles like Publications & Information, Conservation & Access, Equipment & Techniques etc.
 
S

Stuart France

Active member
andrewmcleod said:
Setting up as a company is not without cost, additional legal hurdles and effort, so what's the advantage for the BCA?
Click to expand...

As I recall, setting up Cave Access Ltd cost £50 in 2014. The process was done online by me and it didn't involve solicitors or company formation agents etc. We chose to adopt the standard documentation for companies limited by guarantee, as provided for free by Companies House. It makes it easier later on as well to be "standard" rather than "strange".

The main obstacle was in fact choosing a company name that was acceptable to Companies House.

The cost of being a company is a mere £13 a year filing fee at Companies House and the preparation of accounts which have to be done anyway - see item above about BCA accounts. Helpfully, Companies House generates dormant accounts for you with a few clicks if the company has not traded. The directors also have to file any changes of the list of directors and so forth in a timely manner, but that is also free.

So it is neither onerous nor expensive to construct things operationally so that the fincancial liability of everyone involved is extremely limited. This is the whole purpose of limited companies going back to the Limited Liability Act 1855. The clue as to the "advantage" is in the name of that Act and the status it confers.
 
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