National Trust membership was £63 ten years ago. Now it’s over £100

The Times reports

The charity has lost more than 119,000 members since 2023

The cost of a solo National Trust pass has surpassed £100 after four consecutive years of price rises as membership figures have dwindled.

The charity updated its website on Sunday to reflect the latest increases of up to 5 per cent. The cost of membership has risen 30 per cent since 2022.

An individual annual membership now costs £100.80, up from £96. Ten years ago, it was £63.

Joint membership for two adults has climbed from £160.80 last year to £168. Family membership, covering two adults and children, rose from £168.80 to £176.40. 

Prices for those aged 18-25 increased from £48 to £50.40, and senior rates for long-term members over 60 went from £72 to £75.60. The price of memberships for children aged 5-17 was frozen at £12 a year.

The National Trust membership has been reduced by more than 119,000 since 2023. Some 89,000 were lost between 2023 and 2024 alone.

There was a further fall of 30,000 in 2024-25, although the number of non-members paying on the door increased by 12 per cent in the same period.

Cornelia van der Poll from Restore Trust, a forum for members and friends of the National Trust to discuss their concerns for its future, said: “Although joining is a very good thing — and it’s still good value with good benefits — it’s definitely less good value than it was and the benefits are getting fewer. The relationship between charity and members is not healthy.

“A lot of houses are not open as much as they used to be, there are now many properties where you have to make an online booking for a guided tour in advance where before you could just turn up.”

One of the charity’s greatest successes in recent years has been its attraction of younger members. In 2024-25, there was a 39 per cent increase in memberships for those aged 18-25.

Research by Historic Houses — which runs independently-owned historic houses — found that although 99 per cent of young people they surveyed were interested in visiting heritage sites, 58 per cent were put off by the prices. 

This year, the National Trust announced that, where practical, visitors would be able to use libraries and reading rooms, and even sit on historic chairs, in an attempt to attract more visitors.

The National Trust said: “This year [our] membership will rise at a maximum of 65p a month (for a family with two adults). We set our prices carefully, based on what we need to fund our conservation and other work, and to account for the costs of conservation typically rising at 2-3 per cent above the rate of inflation.

“With more than 500 places to explore across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, membership remains fantastic value for money: a family membership costs the same as buying one takeaway coffee a week.”