Hello Gentlemen
I have been watching this thread with interest as this insurance business has taken up a very large part of my spare time since October and given the apparent confusion I thought it prudent to set the facts down.
Last year I was contacted by Tennyson who said they may be able to offer us a better deal on the insurance, something which many of you have been asking about for some years, especially in relation to the all risks element.
I passed this to Paul Hannaby and he said in an earlier post we both met with them and they attended the first half of a club meeting at Forest Of Dean (I was demonstrating there at the time).
They went away and came back with the offer of which you are aware. For the majority of clubs the PL is cheaper and the All Risks at £60 for £12,000 cover is first class. Overall this saves the AWGB just over £900 a year and across all the clubs there is a massive saving of over £8000 on All Risks Premiums. Indeed one club stands to save £540 per year.
However, during this process it was pointed out to us that under FCA guidance we should not be operating the system as we were, as this effectively made us a broker. Therefore, we are no longer able to offer any insurance advice or broker the service as we have done in the past. It is important to note that this would also have applied had we not changed broker.
The AWGB pays the PL premium for all Affiliated Branches whilst the Associated Clubs pay their own. I felt it was impossible for Tennyson to manage that arrangement so I arranged with them that the All Risks would be paid by the clubs and branches and I would, on behalf of the AWGB, pay the PL for all clubs and branches and reclaim the monies from the associated Clubs through a tiered subscription fee, of which all club secretaries will be aware having read my letter.
We (AWGB) prepared a letter explaining things as clearly as we could. I posted 120 letters on 7 October. Since then things haven't gone quite to plan.
At least 6 of the letters didn't arrive at their destination, some clubs hadn't told us about the change of officer so it went to the wrong person, some secretaries forgot to tell anyone about it, or forgot the letter altogether, some emails from Tennyson went in spam folders - you name it I've heard it!
At the 11th December there were still over 50 clubs who had failed to respond to Tennyson. The Regional Reps were pressed into service to chase these people up.
And even as of yesterday there are still 20 clubs who haven't replied to Tennyson!
Eventually this will all get sorted and I will receive a bill which I will pay immediately and then prepare the invoices for the clubs - all 60 of them. As I have to work out the different levels of membership, email or print and post the invoice I don't expect this to happen much before the end of the next couple of weeks.
BUT.... rest assured - if your club or branch have replied to Tennyson you are covered. f you haven't heard from them then please get in touch, with either me (by email please!) or direct to Tennyson. The contact at Tennyson has now changed to Craig Etherington email Craig.Etherington @ tennysoninsurance.co.uk although Tom is still around. (note I have inserted a space before and after the @ to avoid spam generators)
As for some of the other comments on this thread.
The policy from Zurich s extensive and covers all aspects not just what we do. It is as long as it is and thee is nothing we can do about that.
The Zurich policy provides the same cover as the Aviva policy - we checked!
It is the club that is covered for club activities throughout the UK.
Individuals within clubs are not covered if they are working on their own account - individuals should get their own cover. Tennyson do not provide insurance for individuals. I use Ian Wallace for my own personal cover but who you choose is up to you.
If the club does something outside it's normal programme of events then whatever it is, it should be noted in an appropriate manner. This could be an email between the officers, a note in the committee meeting minutes but it should be noted.
All events, whether part of the regular programme, or not, should have a risk assessment. Normally a single risk assessment reviewed annually for the club at its regular meeting place is adequate. Each external or outside event should be assessed separately. There is guidance in the handbook about risk assessments. Basically it is common sense.
This situation is no different to the previous situation with our previous policy. I have had many discussions with some of you when I was insurance officer on some of these topics.
And now this business of having folks round to your shed for a turning event. It can be covered if such a meeting is scheduled by the club and is a "club event". But... and it is a big but. A risk assessment must be in place, it should be checked prior to each visit or updated if anything changes. The PL cover does not extend to the individual's premises. In exactly the same way if you trip over a flagstone at the community hall and break you hip you sue the community Hall , not the club. The same principle applies.
Finally, I am very grateful to David Buskell for posting the reply from the broker. However, please do not think that this can be quoted this as any evidence that it applies to your circumstances. Each case is different so if you have any concerns about the insurance arrangements for your club you must take responsibility for getting clarification from the broker, not a public forum. It just the same as you car insurance or house insurance. if you have a question ask the insurance company or the broker.
If you've got this far, thanks for reading. I'm afraid it has taken more effort that we thought to change the policy over and it isn't over for us yet. if you have any worries about invoicing please email me
Happy New Year and Safe Turning to you all.
Cheers Dave
AWGB Treasurer
