The great WI revolt
Grassroots branches struggling to survive are furious at having to hand half their cash to ‘elitist’ head office in London
THEY are the backbone of the Women’s Institute, ready to make jam for the nation with a chorus of Jerusalem.
But there’s something brewing – and it’s not just the teapot – in the villages and rural towns where veteran members faithfully show up each week.
The WI, which recently celebrated its centenary, is facing a revolt from a band of women who accuse it of elitism and ‘extravagance’ with their money.
They complain that the cost of subscriptions is rising and the National Federation, the WI’s ruling body, takes more than half the cash. It boasts elegant headquarters in London, and a glossy magazine that many say they don’t even bother to read.
Many members have quit the WI in protest, and some branches have been forced to close as numbers dwindle. Others are looking at ways to get around the subscription system so they can retain enough money to survive.
Elizabeth Blakemore, 68, the treasurer of Chilbolton WI in Hampshire, said her group’s members had dropped from around 60 three years ago to just 29. ‘The National Federation is using us as a conduit to collect funds for its extravagant uses,’ she said. ‘How sad it is out of touch with grassroots members.
‘A number of people are saying they don’t want to be members but will donate the money if they can keep coming every month.’
She added: ‘Last year we had to hand over 54 per cent of subscriptions. It was 35 per cent the year before. I paid £585 to them, which left just over £400 to get speakers and hire the hall.’
Hazel Turner, who was president of Stoke Hammond WI in Buckinghamshire until it closed before Christmas, said: ‘People are devastated. A lot of them are very lonely, many are widows.
‘They came once a month to have a cup of tea and a piece of cake and speak to other people. There’s nothing to replace it.’
But there was worse to come. A WI adviser arrived on December 12 to collect all the branch’s mementos. ‘They took our scrapbooks,’ Mrs Turner said. ‘They took our banner, the tablecloth that members had sewn and account books going back 70 years. The cups and saucers we bought in 1985, with gold leaf and WI on the side, went too.’ Furious at the apparent penny pinching, she suggested the WI should sell its HQ in the exclusive area of Fulham in London and move to Denman College, the organisation’s residential college in Oxfordshire. ‘They said it wasn’t feasible,’ she said.
Many more complained the WI’s London HQ was a ‘white elephant’. One member said: ‘Their excuse is that they need to maintain a presence in London. This is nonsense in this digital age, especially for an organisation set up for women in rural areas.’
Shirley Clarke, president of Anderida WI in East Sussex, said membership had dropped 20 per cent to 42 over the past decade. She also called for the sale of the prestigious London HQ and branded the WI Life magazine a ‘flash’ publication for ‘the metropolitan elite’. WI annual subscriptions are rising by £2 to £41 this year – which campaigners say is too much for pensioners. Treasurers say that having to pay 54 per cent of subs to the National Federation favours branches in towns and cities, who have more members. The WI said membership rose to 222,000 last year, compared to 208,000 in 2010. But members pointed to figures which show there were fewer branches last year – 6,400 compared to 7,000 in 2010. The Women’s Institute’s income in 2016 was £7.2 million, up from £ 6.8 million the previous year. Some £2.4 million came from subs, an increase of £200,000 on the year before. Outgoings included £ 1.3 million on the magazine, which one branch chief said was binned without being read by ‘half our members’. The London headquarters was purchased in 1990. The Land Registry does not hold details of the purchase price but nearby flats sell in excess of £1 million. In a statement, the WI claimed its annual subscription was ‘excellent value for money’. It said: ‘This includes 11 meetings a year, eight copies of WI Life, access to many events and activities and the opportunity to be part of a national voice.’
‘People are devastated’
AS TREASURER of a village Women’s Institute for 12 years, I endorse the concern that members are being priced out (Letters). The National Federation has been increasing the subscription and therefore the percentage WIs must hand over to it — for us, 54 per cent in 2017. It is using us as a conduit to collect funds for its extravagant uses. How sad that it’s out of touch with grassroots members. ELIZABETH BLAKEMORE,
Chilbolton, Hants. WHILE our subs have risen, the increase last year was only £2; the magazine is funded by advertising and many members are not of pension age. The complaints do not capture the spirit of the WI I love. NAOMI CLAXTON, Chelmsford, Essex. A MONTH ago, as president, I had to close our WI. Numbers fell due to the cost of membership and, as our group was elderly, no one wished to be secretary or treasurer. The WI adviser said Buckinghamshire Federation closed seven WI groups the month before. I wrote to the National Federation suggesting it sells the London HQ and moves to Denman College, its educational institute in Oxfordshire. It said it wasn’t feasible. When our WI closed, it took cash we’d raised for speakers and 70 years of memorabilia. HAZEL TURNER, Milton Keynes, Bucks. MY VILLAGE WI has only a small membership and finding cash to pay for speakers is hard — no decent speakers means no member interest. Courses on offer are too expensive for many. The WI is a fine organisation, but if it is to survive, it must promote an image appealing to younger women and charge an affordable subscription.
Name and address supplied.
THE £41 subscription may seem a lot, but where else can you spend a few hours in good company, have a speaker and refreshments for less than £3.40 a month? It is hardly more than the price of a coffee. The proportion that goes to the National Federation funds lectures and workshops. I urge the complaining member to embrace all the WI has to offer and she will soon see she gets value for money.