I think Wobbly is right, there is a big demand for TLC events and not enough offer.
In 2018 the only TLC events in the calendar are 400 km or over and I have counted 4 of them: 2 in May (fully booked since last autumn), one in June and one in July... the last two being 1k events, that's it. The total capacity is in the region of 400-500 entries. That means that at the very least, 90+% of the membership will not be able to ride a TLC event in 2018.
With over 7000 members and most events oversubscribed, it is quite clear we could do with more of these. Anything that makes organising them easier would see an increase.
Currently, as highlighted by the last National 400 organiser, one has to plan and arrange for everything down to the last detail, badge, sticker etc... obviously if AUK could provide some of the basics, as well as some advance money things would look more manageable.
That is not to say that Joe nobody comes up with a plan of a new TLC 600 and gets 5 grand from AUK no quibble... that will never happen, but given the huge reserves of cash in the bank, the soaring membership and the stagnation in the calendar, it would make sense to do something about it.