Government proposals to increase the fee for the grant of a shotgun certificate from £50 to £79.50 with proportionate increases in other licensing fees have been welcomed as fair by the UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).
If agreed these will be the first increases in fees for 13 years.
The proposals are contained in a consultation published today and originated in the work of a Home Office working group which included BASC, the British Shooting Sports Council and the police. The consultation is seeking views in an online survey. Please make your views known via the link below.
The fee for a shotgun renewal would rise to £49, for the grant of a firearm certificate to £88 and for renewal of firearms certificates to £62. Variations on firearms certificates would be reduced to £20. Coterminous certificates, where both shotgun and firearm certificates are dealt with at the same time would be £90 and then £65 on renewal.
Initial police proposals were for a rise in shotgun certificate fees from £50 to £109. BASC rejected this and asked for the component parts of the licensing system to be fully costed and examined in accordance with the principles of better regulation and Treasury guidelines and taking into account the police move to e-commerce for firearms licensing.
BASC chairman Alan Jarrett said: “We welcome the government’s initiative to involve stakeholders and do the job properly. Those who shoot can have confidence that they are paying a fair price for their certificate which has been decided after a rigorous process founded on solid evidence. We hope to see this proposal implemented after the consultation. I would urge everyone who shoots to make their views known in the Home Office online consultation.”
BASC chief executive Richard Ali said: “I congratulate the Home Office for ensuring that the full process complied with Treasury guidelines and with the principles of better regulation introduced under the last government and built on by this.”
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP. Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Shooting and Conservation, who worked closely with the Home Office on this issue, said: “I believe this is a good result for all sections of the shooting community. It provides a fair basis for fee levels in the future. Under these proposals the police are committed to achieving a cost-effective and consistent service across 42 constabularies. This is a good example of the All-Party Group working with BASC and the other shooting organisations, the police and the Home Office to produce an acceptable result and one which protects the shooting community for the future.”
The consultation can be viewed and voted on by clicking here