With all due respect to Blacksheep and his very successful and popular events, that just seems a naive approach to me.
Why is it naive, Every event has a finite income (a) and costs (b). For me (b) has to be less than or equal to (a), or I may as well go and stand at the bottom of garden and help fill the stream. I've never had any financial support, so that's the way it has to be. If you or anyone else wants to meet any short-fall then I'm happy to run the events differently. The tax man has allowed me a small ammount to carry-over each year to pay up-front for some deposits, but (his words) is unlikely to increase this ammount for 2011/12.
I only have a financial history to two of my events, and they are costed to break even - and then the entry fee reflects that.
Of the other dozen or so events, four were new for the 2010/11 calendar, and the others are only in their second season.
The entry fees were initially set to reflect the facilities ofered on the ride. Many of the cafes I use, Audax is completely new to them in terms of handling "slugs" of customers wanting a faster than average service turnaround. So to show good faith with controls on the ride, I gave/give them an ammount to cover the costs of a waitress for the time AUKs use the control. In return the control gives that back to the riders in the form of "money-off" the riders' bills. So everyone gets a good deal.
The Bryan Chapman Scenic 600 and Mr. Pickwick's Tour of the Cotswolds 300 are not likely to feature in any future events calendar, as neither covers it's own costs under the proposed £10 registration scheme.