By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-03-06 22:46:04 | Updated at 2025-03-07 08:49:36
10 hours ago
National Trust members have been hit with a 25 per cent price hike as the organisation faces criticism over declining numbers.
An annual adult membership now costs £96.20, up from £76.80 in 2022.
A lifetime family membership has risen to £3,025 from £2,865.
The increases, which took effect on 1 March, come as the Trust grapples with falling membership and volunteer numbers.
"We've seen membership numbers have declined over the past few years and volunteer numbers have dropped below 40,000, the lowest in over a decade," she said.
She described the situation as a "managed decline, which is very sad."
GB News host Matt Goodwin expressed frustration with the Trust's direction, stating: "I would like to spend one day at the weekend without having bizarre schools of thought rammed down my throat."
He added a personal boycott of the organisation, saying: "If they are going to continue raising membership fees to shove woke ideology down people's throats, I won't be getting a membership anytime soon."
Gebreyohanes joined Matt Goodwin on GB News
GB NEWS
When asked whether ideology was part of the problem, Gebreyohanes confirmed: "Ideology is a big part of the problem."
She claimed that since 2017, "the National Trust has been pursuing a lot of identity politics driven initiatives which are outside the core remit of the National Trust."
These initiatives appear to have contributed to the dissatisfaction among members and volunteers.
Gebreyohanes also pointed to governance issues within the organisation.
"The National Trust management have been dismantling democracy and removing internal checks and balances such as regional committees and advisory bodies within the group," she said.
She further alleged that "the National Trust management want to squash any criticism and throw a lot of red herrings."
"There is a lot of deflection from the main issues," she added.
The National Trust has defended the price increases, citing significant financial pressures.
The National Trust is hiking prices for its members
PA
"Operating costs have soared in recent years in the challenging external financial context. In our last financial year, our operating costs grew by £53.2m," a spokesperson said.
The Trust attempted to soften the blow by noting that membership still "costs the same as buying one takeaway coffee a week."
A spokesman added: "We set all our prices carefully, based on what it costs to carry out our conservation and other work."
The National Trust lost 89,000 members in 2023 to 2024 amid several controversies.
These included replacing the term "ethnic minority" with "global majority".
The organisation also faced criticism for excluding Christian holidays from its "inclusivity and wellbeing" calendar.
Another controversial move was pushing through a vegan overhaul of its cafes, according to the Telegraph.
These changes appear to have contributed to the significant drop in membership numbers.
