Give them a deadline, after explaining the support available to pay. Explain that if you have no contact or not payment after that deadline you will remove their membership of the organisation.
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And that’s the problem; no consequences for their inaction.
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I think that you need to take a firmer line with the parents. Set you what are the memberships requirements are and what the subs pay for and where the levy goes. Failure to engage with the sqn and form a repayment plan within an acceptable timeline result in consequences. List what you intend to do and the time line. Keep careful track of the process and any deviation from the process will result in the exclusion from attending the unit by the cadets.
As an organisation, what we offer is very cheap. Uniform is free and many of the activities we offer have a nominal fee which is normally a couple of quid Tave a look what PGL charge or a school trip costs. Take a look on how much a pleasure flight in a light aircraft costs. It is very annoying that parents think it is OK not to pay £10 or £15 a month on subs.
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The car is just the most obvious part of it. My point being that there are plenty of families who couldn’t afford a new car, even on PCP/loan, who pay their subs. We have parents who don’t feel they need to pay but still have new car, several holidays a year, the kids have the latest iPhone.
They are a minority but there’s one or two in each intake who are very entitled.
Yes, I don’t think there is any doubt about what the problem is, the original question was looking for guidance on finding a solution that’s within the remit of the CivCom. I don’t want to find ourselves making decisions or recommendations that come back to bite us as we’ve acted outside of our scope and we end up looking foolish
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Amen to that! From what I’m gathering it seems to be a fairly widely experienced issue
Is removing them from the organisation within the remit of the CivCom?
Past chasing them, no formal action (excluding from activity, removal etc) is solely within CivCom remit no - anything further would have to be a recommendation to the OC and done in tandem with them
Unfortunately in life there are a very small minority of people just out for personal gain and will do anything to avoid paying.
In my professional capacity when I was in practice We had a client who we found out had an aversion to paying his bills.
We went down the legal route, got judgement bu still could not extract the money from him. The bailiffs seized his major money earning asset but he wriggled out of that because it was leased.
We put a private detective on to him to keep track of him and where he was working etc. He told me where he used to drink so I suggested he serve the papers on him in the pub but the reply was “Do you want me killed?”
We successfully petitioned for his bankruptcy in the end and the thought of losing his business made him pay up.
This was after he lay in wait for the partner in charge of his work and had him up against a wall threatening him serious physical harm. We stuck at it however and got him bound over to keep the peace.
it became a matter of principle and we won in the end through perseverance.
Some will use you as a free babysitting service. Don’t let them do it. Threaten exclusion and follow through with any threats. They’ll either pay or go somewhere else for their next freebee!
Dear parents / guardian of Cadet Bloggs,
We have trying for a considerable period, without success, to reach a suitable outcome concerning non-payment of monthly subscriptions.
The background was clearly explained previously.
This has now reached the stage where you have to make the decision if you still require Cdt Bloggs to attend the Squadron.
*If we do not hear from you by XXXXXX (one month or whatever), regretfully will will have to discharge Cdt Bloggs from the Squadron. *
Please can you advise soonest what your preferred course of action is.
Kind regards.
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Thank you, how did you know their surname 
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Lots of 'em about!
As a back-up, if Cdt Bloggs still attends, give them a letter to take home.
I’d need to check the regs (which I can’t at work) but I am pretty sure non payment is a reason for discharging. But the OC / Adj will need to do it.
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And read it out to them so that they understand what is heading towards them.
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On a slight tangent - can I ask @VentureAdventure what is the OC’s opinion?
Reading through the various comments, it’s obvious that this has been going on for some time - but it sounds as though the burden has fallen on the CivCim to sort this out…
I appreciate the difference between can’t pay vs won’t pay and the further info you’ve given, but I wonder if the OC is “tolerating” the unpaid subs, because the cadet in question is a “valuable” asset… Or worse, a bit of an “influencer”. If they go, others might follow…
I think everyone, yourself included appreciates that this ongoing refusal to reliably pay subs - or engage with a dialogue as to why they’re not being paid simply cannot go on - and as others have stated, a line in the sand needs to be drawn - for the very reason you and others have stated “it is simply unfair on other cadets and their families, that DO adhere to the rules.”
Lots of information has been suggested by people far more experienced than me - but I would affirm what the subs pay for: what they enable; how critical they are - and without them, growth and ongoing investment in the Sqn is harmed.
Sadly this is not a new thing - I can recall instances of cadets (when I was a cadet) turning up to parade nights and being turned away at the door for failing to keep up with their subs.
Pretty sure our Sqn had a policy that was well known, that you could be in arrears for a maximum of one month; without a discussion / plan.
The fact that the parents are refusing to engage gives you your justification to remove the cadet.
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I’m not an OC or anything and appreciate that squadrons have to pay contributions to Wing & HQ, but to play devils advocate, I know every squadron sets their own subs but where is it written that cadets have to pay subs? If it’s not in a regulation any punishment of a cadet, such as limiting their ability to attend activities through to discharge, could be on very shaky ground imho.
I think it’s in one of the “admin” ACPs - pointed out to me over 10 yrs ago, so don’t ask for an exact location!!
I suspect ACP300?
Hi all,
Over the last year, I’ve had this exact issue. In conversations with HQ Air Cadets (legal), several points have come to fruition which may help this conversation.
- The Air Cadets organisation is free of charge to join due to its high social mobility aspect.
- Subscriptions (cadet contribution) is a donation and should not be treated as a debt
- You can still charge for activities that are not on the public purse, but the main squadron evening you cannot.
I have highlighted the discrepancy between this information and the Civilian Committee publications, but nothing has been amended as of yet.
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Citation needed? I don’t think this is correct - the social mobility element is irrelevant
A portion of Sqn subs go to wing, Sqn non-public funds, HQ to cover cadet insurance and the air cadet charity.
You could argue opt out of the air cadet charity but then badges & other items would be self purchased.
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