If you look at the breakdown for camps, then you will realise the costs are tight as they can be.
Most groups budget for £5 per person per day for food. Then you have camp fees, which vary from £3 to £5 a night, or if indoor, considerably more.
The biggest cost is the transport - hire of a minibus and petrol. £500 a week for bus, plus several tanks of petrol.
Plus you have staff costs - the leaders are already giving up holidays and do not get paid, but their costs also have to be covered. Plus their petrol to get to and from the shops every day to feed the little treasures...
When on camp, most groups try and do a couple of trips (usually about £8-10 a head these days, often more) plus they will have some adventurous activities - climbing, archery, abseiling - these things all cost money, albeit the cost of the instructor who is usually a scout leader in the area of the camp.
Theres other stuff like the cost of gas to cook with. Tent maintenance (our tents need to be fully replaced every 4-5 years because some kids do not look after their kit, do not open the zip properly before climbing out etc. ) New tent pegs (cos they leave them in the ground). An ice cream while out and about. Fish and chips on the last night (so the leaders can de-grease the cookers and start packing up)
So:
Food for 7 days: £35 + fish and chips
Camp fees: £21
2 days out £16ish
2x activities @ about £4 each £8
Transport costs - works out about £30-40 per person
so we are already £110+ up.
Now add in the costs for leaders divided by the number of kids.....usually about another £25-£30 on top.
ANd thats assuming that a lot of the activities are free or given free by the leaders.
Any profits from camp are ploughed back into the group to replace mess tents (£1000 for a new one), tables (they take a beating) pots and pans, utensils, chopping boards, and consumables like washing up liquid, sanitiser, washing cloths, scrubbers, foil, cling film, sandwich bags. ALso things like emergency dashes to the laundromat to wash and dry wet sleeping bags and PJs......
There are no subsidies from the scout association - where would that come from? They do not fund raise, and the capitation (membership fees) we pay to the SA go to training the leaders in things like first aid, child protection plus the own internal training about the methods and approaches to scouty things - like how to run a camp and how to light a fire and how to wield an axe....)
Groups might fundraise to subsidise camps (ours used to) but inevitably parents can't be arsed to support, so that falls by the wayside, or its the same 10 parents doing the organising and shelling out money.
Many people want something for nothing, sadly.
Compared to school trips, which are £300+ for just 4 nights, scout and guide camps are incredible value for money. £150 for a week away...thats about £21 a day. Less than a pound an hour. Pretty good value in my book for an adventurous, well supervised, activity rich holiday.