Membership FAQ

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Ordinary Membership is open to all serving, former and retired Civil Servants of the United Kingdom, and to current, former and retired employees of Government Agencies and NDPBs (Non-Departmental Public bodies). Membership is also open to parliamentary staff, and current, former and retired members of companies carrying out ex-Civil Service work.

A list of the current Departments, Agencies and Public Bodies can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations

The majority of Police Officers are public servants not civil servants and can join the Civil Service Club, as an Associate Member (will require two Ordinary Club members to sponsor the application). Police Officers working within The Ministry of Defence Police and Civil Nuclear Constabulary are civil servants and can join as Ordinary Members.

The formation of the Civil Service is dynamic and changes with the incumbent government’s needs, departments change names, merge, are disbanded or the roles are taken out of the Civil Service. Likewise for those companies of companies carrying out ex-Civil Service work those companies may have been subject to mergers, acquisitions and rebranding, there is no definitive list, and the Membership Secretary may need to investigate an application and may require evidence of your service with a department, agency, public body or company.

Ordinary members have full access to all facilities and participate in the running of the Civil Service Club by having voting rights. Associate Members have full access to all facilities, however, do not have voting rights and cannot sponsor the application for anyone to join as an Associate member of the Club which will require two Ordinary Club members to sponsor the application.

When the Club was formed in 1953, The General Post Office, which at that time was responsible for telephones was part of the Civil Service. Therefore yes, as a staff member of a company that is carrying out ex-Civil Service work you may join the Club as an Ordinary member (Club Rule 3.1a)

Yes, widows, widowers and bereaved partners of eligible to join as a partner member with the sponsorship of an Ordinary member. 

Yes widows, widows and bereaved partners may continue their membership by only paying the partner subscription. You are also eligible to join as a Life member should you wish. If you are already Partner Life member your membership status will remain unchanged.

A joining fee is payable by all members, however, is currently waived for those joining as partner members (including widows, widowers and bereaved partners) and for those under the age of 25 on joining.

No, The Civil Service Club does embraces opportunities to work with several charities and organisations on shared topics and to offer support and advice where required, but membership of those or organisations, including CSSC, does not in itself provide entry to the Club or the Club’s facilities. See our Trusted Partners page for more information.

If you are moving overseas with work you can continue your membership for when you visit London and make use of the Club’s affordable accommodation and facilities. 

However, you can choose to advise us that you are going overseas and wish to suspend your membership. If you do so, your membership will expire at the end of the current subscription period, however, when you return and resume your  membership you won’t need to pay a joining fee again.

Yes, if you worked in the NHS which is the public service, not the civil service, you can join as an Associate Member of the Club.

If you are a member of the NHS Retirement Fellowship (NHSRF) you can also seek guidance on your application from comms@nhsrf.oth.uk as well as from the Club’s Membership team.

Yes, each member can introduce a maximum of five (5) guests at a time. More guests can be introduced. Should a member wish to introduce more than five (5) guests at any one time, the names of those guests shall be supplied to the Club 48 hours in advance.

The same guest may not be introduced more than two times in any calendar month.

Yes, you can introduce a new member to the Club and will receive a £10 voucher for each member introduced who is not your spouse or partner.

The easiest way to introduce a new member is to use the referral QR code available in your Membership App. 

A mobile is ideally required as we use a digital membership card. Those without a mobile telephone can enter their landline in the Mobile telephone box. As we do not issue a physical membership card, any member who does not have a digital membership card can be verified at Reception when they arrive and can also take part in the loyalty scheme and redeem vouchers by advising their server of their membership number.

The annual subscription is £65 per year for those ordinary members living in and or working in the Metropolitan or City of London Police Force Areas, £55 per year for Ordinary living and working outside of those police force areas. Associate membership is £74 per annum, and partner membership is £19 per year. A discount is also applied for membership subscription renewals paid by direct debit.

Yes, the Civil Service Club has Life Memberships available for Ordinary, Associate and partner members. The online membership application form will automatically calculate the Life membership fee. If you are 60 years of age this is calculated as 5 times the relevant annual membership fee.

  • If you are under 60 years of age, then you must add one year’s subscription for every year that you are under 60. For example if you are 58 applying for a London membership you would need to pay 2 x £65 (£130) plus 5 x £65 (£325) = £455.
  • If you are over 70 on taking up Life Membership the cost of life membership is reduced by half.

The easiest way to apply for membership is online here. A downloadable application form is also available here (pdf) which you can complete, scan and email or post back to us, or drop off at reception. Paper forms are also available at reception.

An application for Ordinary membership does not require a either a proposer or seconder. An application for Associate Membership does require both a proposer and a seconder for their application who both must be Ordinary members of the Club.

An application for a widow, widower, or bereaved partner requires a proposer, who must be an Ordinary member of the Club, but not a seconder of their application. Applications for partners of substantive Ordinary or Associate members do not require a separate proposers or seconders.

The first year’s subscription must be paid by cash, card (debit or credit) or cheque, however, renewals can be paid by direct debit with the benefit of reduced subscription fees.

A direct debit mandate can be found here (pdf) and must be processed three weeks before your renewal is due.

The online application will automatically lookup the Police Force Area based on your address.

You can also use the online lookup tool at https://www.police.uk/pu/find-a-police-force/

No, the postcodes of both diplomatic and BFPO mail are exceptions and will only be requested to pay the “Country” subscription rate. This is automatically calculated by the online membership form.

Your subscription rate may change if you change either your work or home location. You can use the “Update Details” link in the membership area of our website (also accessible via the Club’s App) to advise of any changes.

More than just a meeting place, the Civil Service Club offers affordable accommodation, food, and beverages, all priced considerably lower than comparable hotels and hospitality venues in Central London. Members enjoy access to a vibrant calendar of social events, including comedy nights, quizzes, wine tastings, cabaret shows, speaker evenings, and walking tours. Members are also eligible for a 10% discount on travel insurance from Civil Service Insurance Society (CSIS) see our Trusted Partners page for more information.

Yes. Following The House of Commons Administration Act 1978 which requires the terms and conditions of House of Commons staff to be kept “broadly in line” with the Home Civil Service, although not being Civil Servants of the Crown, staff of the House of Commons, House of Lords and those parliamentary staff that support both Houses became eligible to join the Civil Service Club as Ordinary members.

Birthday vouchers are issued within your CSC Members App and not on paper. If you do not use the CSC Members App you can check the vouchers that you have with either your server or our Reception Team. Birthday vouchers can only be issued if we have a record of your birthday. If you need to update your membership record with your birthday, please contact our Reception Team.

Yes, as the Member you are responsible for their purchases and therefore you will receive loyalty points on your expenditure.

Yes, a spouse or partner that you live with can be added to your annual subscription or life membership. This can be undertaken on initial application, or you can add a Partner to your existing membership by contacting our Membership Team.

Joining fees and subscriptions are refundable in the event that an application is rejected. Applications may be rejected if requested evidence of eligibility for membership has not been received. However, if you resign your membership once it has been approved the joining fees or subscriptions, that have been paid, are not refundable. Memberships are non-transferable. Furthermore, an expelled Member is also not entitled to any refund of their joining fee or subscription.