UK Scouts membership fee for 2026-27
The UK Scouts finances continue to be affected by cost pressures and as one of several measures to help tackle our costs, the 2026-27 UK Scouts membership fee will be increasing by £1 to £44.
Our aim is always to keep Scouts affordable for families, but external cost pressures such as inflation and increased litigation costs make it harder to provide services at the same cost.
The UK Scouts membership fee is charged per youth member and covers the majority of the services that UK Scouts provides for the movement. The UK Scouts membership fee makes up most of the funding we receive, the rest is funded from our commercial operations, our corporate partnerships, and the generosity of our brilliant funders.
The UK Scouts membership fee helps us to provide services such as:
- The design and development of our programme across the six sections (including awards and badges)
- Support for international events and trips
- Criminal record checking
- Safeguarding support and case management
- Induction for new District and County/Area/Region Lead Volunteers
- The Scouts Support Centre
- Provision of our national volunteer awards
Details around how the UK Scouts membership fee is spent can be found online.
In light of these cost pressures, we had reviewed our own cost saving measures at UK HQ and our priority remains to use the UK Scouts membership fee to continue to provide you with vital services.
It’s critical we continue to provide frontline support to volunteers as we look to offer Scouts to more young people across the UK. We must also continue to invest to keep our young people safe as a priority.
UK Scouts Membership fee 2026-27
The UK Scouts membership fee for 2025-26 will be increasing by £1 to £44 per young person. There will continue to be a 50p prompt payment discount if we receive payment by 23 April 2026, making the amount paid per young person £43.50.
This decision to increase the fee was approved by UK Scouts Board of Trustees. We also notified Council members last year that we expected the fee to increase by £1 for 2026-27.
The UK Scouts membership fee only relates to the services provided directly by the UK Scout HQ. Each Nation HQ, County/Area/Region, District and Group will be reviewing their own financial situation, so the amount you pay per youth member may differ and will depend on your area.
Increases are disappointing, especially in the current climate when we know that families may already be under pressure from increased living costs. However, we must react to external cost pressures which are unpredictable. Our commitment remains to make sure that any increase is kept as low as possible, and in this case the increase has been kept below the increase in inflation.
Finances should never be a barrier to a young person enjoying Scouts. Guidance is available to help you support families who may be struggling.
Thank you to all our amazing volunteers who continue to support young people. Your time and dedication help make a real difference and means that all our young people can continue to feel safe, gain new experiences and learn vital life skills.