Our membership is barely large enough for the existing insurance policy - a lot of work and negotiation went into that. I'm not sure we could replicate it at a national level let alone a regional level and the price we get for the cover is competitive.
Why is the BCA still raising membership prices when there is a significant amount still left in its coffers? Insurance should be a choice, not forced (otherwise have we not just beholden ourselves to commercial providers which you have so quoted as doom and gloom). If we impose BCA membership (and insurance) as terms to accessing caves, all it takes is one individual to claim or the insurance provider deciding to ramp up the prices - we now have a significant problem and are forced to pay the cost of over centralisation to even access our beloved caves. Nothing is stopping ANYBODY from suing the landowner, so what is the point of insurance? If we want an insurance policy, make it an option - not a forced subscription.
It's use as an access instrument is slightly intangible - you often aren't checked but often if you talk to the people who negotiate access it was leaned on for reassurance, if not explicitly codified in the agreement but no one can be arsed to check.
Local caves have always been reliant on the good faith enacted by local cavers (and the relationship said cavers have with their landowners). I'm sure the BCA can be quoted as a means to an end, but this does NOT need people to be forced to pay into its pot.
Wouldn't it be better if regional councils spent the money? That is literally what happens. BCA's main power is that it concentrates funds and then moves the money to where it needs to be. I suggest you look at the very significant conservation and access spends in recent years (of the named regions) - that was all BCA money through the C&A committee.
My money is my money. I should not be forced to pay into a central pot to be managed centrally by some committee diverting money to other areas as a stipulation to join a local caving club. All I'm saying is, we DO NOT need a national body to decide where caver's money should go. A better solution is to simply downsize, and allow local caving councils to collect the money and decide accordingly. Local clubs are the ones who lead local caving projects, take for example the conservation taken in OFD - the local club should be the one collecting the money (and making this clear) - not the BCA.
If BCA wasn't there then you would have caving regulated by commercial providers/have to join multiple clubs and spend way more a year.
This doom and gloom situation did not occur when no such body existed. Commercial providers will only step in when there is profit to be made (and as such caving is largely regulated by the good will interactions between cavers and the landowner. If the landowner wants to turn Daren Cilau into a theme park on the hills of Llangawtg then there is nothing a national body can do but beg to do otherwise).
Besides the point, the BCA is a national body NOT A GOVERNING BODY - therefore the BCA have never regulated cavers so I'm not entirely sure what the reasoning behind this is.
TLDR: I'm not saying the BCA is a bad idea, I'm saying forcing people to be apart of it (and paying into it) is.
