Allow National Trust annual membership to be paid off monthly over 12 months

Although membership of the National Trust in England and Wales is excellent value, giving unlimited access to all NT properties for a year, it can cost as much as £88.50.

In these straitened times that is a lot of money to pay out all at once each year and the National Trust's declaration that it has no intention currently to change this policy could be viewed as elitist and exclusive, something the charity ought to be keen to avoid.

Other, smaller (and some bigger), organisations* have started making their membership fees of similar value payable by monthly direct debit (usually over 10 months) for a small administrative fee, so why shouldn't the National Trust?

The National Trust says currently that implementing direct debit payment for "small amounts" - presumably individual, child and young persons' membership - would be too costly to implement. It is likely that the majority of members are couples or families paying considerably more and it is equally possible that the high one-off cost of membership is putting people off joining the Trust in the first place, which is presumably why it makes a discounted first year membership offer.

If many members opt for monthly payment, it could well smooth out seasonal variations in the Trust's income, by creating a more even flow of money into the Trust's coffers over the 12 months of the year. For instance, if many people are drawn to join the trust in the warmer months because those are the favoured times for visiting NT properties for the first time, then dates in those months become the anniversaries of membership inception and renewal, so more money is collected. Therefore less money will be collected in the 'out of season' months.

The purpose of this petition is two-fold: either to persuade the National Trust to change its policy through internal administrative change, or to force it to change through a member's proposal at the 2012 Annual General Meeting in November.

If the latter option proves necessary, then National Trust members signing this petition should indicate their willingness to be proposers or supporters of such a proposal. Five proposers and 50 supporters are needed to submit a proposal by 5pm on June 1st 2012. Please see http://tinyurl.com/846ws95 for more details.

You should only sign this petition if you are already a National Trust member and in the case of the AGM proposal support option, if you have been a member at least since January 1st 2012. Please write 'Yes' in the AGM proposal support field and you will be contacted by email with more details. Leave the field blank if you do not wish to be involved in supporting the proposal.

If you are not currently a National Trust member but would like to sign the petition, perhaps because you have always been put off joining the Trust by the high annual cost of membership, please enter a zero '0' in the membership number field, then sign the petition and give your reason/s for doing so in the comments box.

Any and all comment/s may be published.

Thanks for your support.

* e.g. National Trust for Scotland, CPRE, RSPB, BASC, Battersea Dogs Home, Dogs Trust, Churches Conservation Trust, UNICEF and many more.