I understand from elsewhere that GAGB is proposing removing forum access from those who aren't GAGB members. As a person who had some influence in the GAGB hosting a discussion forum for all GB cachers I'm surprised at this proposal.

The service was provided at a time when relations between GB cachers and Groundspeak were at an all-time low and the point was to provide a national forum where discussions could take place without being censored by Groundspeak. It would be a great shame for GB cachers if the service were removed.

Removal would also be unhelpful to GAGB, which is already accused of being an unrepresentative organisation managed by a handful of cachers. The proposal would reinforce this belief.

From the post on Groundspeak it seems to me that the proposal is based on technical grounds rather than anything else, and that's not a good reason.

I understand that GAGB is polling its members to see if the service should remain: non-members cannot vote. In other words, only those unaffected by the proposal may vote; those affected, who would then be denied a voice, cannot.

It would be helpful if GAGB would say if they believe that it's right that non-members should be denied a GB-specific forum and, if so, what has changed since the service was introduced as clearly they believed it to be right at that time.