AMAP Campaign

A Fair Deal for Volunteers

At CTA, we understand how challenging work has been not just through Covid-19 but also as we come out of the pandemic. The challenges the cost-of-living crisis, rising fuel and energy costs and employee shortages is having on already squeezed budgets. This is why CTA is leading the AMAP Campaign, calling for the UK Government to increase the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) which is the maximum level at which volunteer drivers can be reimbursed without any impact on their tax obligations or benefit entitlements.

The AMAP rate of 45p per mile was last reviewed in 2012. Before the cost-of-living crisis, the cost of motoring had already increased by 25% according to research by the RAC and in the month of June fuel price records were broken multiple times with the average price for a litre of petrol at UK forecourts was 191.1p on Monday 27^th June and diesel was up to 198.96p on the same date according to RAC Fuel Watch. We understand these surging costs are putting volunteer-run transport services at risk and we are urging the government to step in and help.

We have written to numerous Ministers including the Chancellor of the Exchequer and transport-related MPs across the UK raising the issue on behalf of a coalition of 11 Volunteer related charities which have come together behind CTA’s campaign to drive the call forward through their networks:

• Communities 1^st
• Volunteer Now (NI)
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
• Scottish Volunteering Forum
• Volunteer Scotland
• Volunteering Matters
• Royal Voluntary Service
• Wales Council for Voluntary Action
• National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA)

We have submitted a Spring Budget Representation to HM Treasury, together with a summary briefing with key messages and stats of the campaign. Last year we submitted an Autumn Budget Representation to HM Treasury setting out our proposal and discussed this with senior officials.

We have published a press release which is gaining coverage of the campaign in regional and national news reporting.

The strategy of the campaign is to compile a case together for submission to the Treasury ahead of the Autumn statement. We have been advised that this is the best window of opportunity to get the rate increased, we are working collectively with these volunteer organisations to prepare the necessary submission paperwork and will be working hard to put the best case forward to deal with the real challenges your members, and your volunteers are dealing with in the face of spiralling inflationary rises.

Thank you to all of you who filled in our questionnaire and wrote to your local MP’s, we have been getting the responses back over the last few weeks and it really helps to feed into our campaign to get an updated view of the government’s position. It was pleasing to see the call for a review of the AMAP rate for volunteer drivers was raised in a parliamentary debate recently off the back of one of our members writing to their MP. If you haven’t had the chance to write to your local MP and would like to please find the template document here.

Make sure you keep us up to date with any responses you get or share how this is impacting your service by emailing hello@ctauk.org.

For an media or press enquiries about the campaign contact us on media@ctauk.org 

Rising fuel costs and a lack of volunteers are putting lifeline #CommunityTransport services at risk. Important coverage of our campaign and CTA member @CoalfieldCT by @STVNews @STV_Olly pic.twitter.com/VD5xmw3nJ2

— CTA (@CTAUK1) July 25, 2022

The #CostofLivingCrisis is damaging #Volunteering and #CommunityTransport. We’ve written to @nadhimzahawi to call for action on record high fuel prices in the #AutumnBudget📰We need an urgent uplift to the approved mileage rate for volunteer drivers: https://t.co/DzNN7ZwNUR pic.twitter.com/zjrJuCGXIk

— CTA (@CTAUK1) July 6, 2022

Listen as our campaign to tackle fuel costs and uplift the AMAP rate is discussed in the Senedd. We want to thank @PeterFox61 for raising the issue. We are pleased to have the support of the @WelshGovernment. pic.twitter.com/94Yi4VECEA

— CTA (@CTAUK1) July 12, 2022