No. Read the thread. There are two reasons to charge a fee. The first is to cover the costs of implementing the new cleaned list. The second is to produce that cleaned list. There needs to be a discriminator that stops people just staying on the list for the hell of it. There is actually a strong argument that they should have charged more to ensure this.
The commitment to clean up this issue is laudable but again the Club has tiptoed around the issue as this thread and others on other sites demonstrate.
They announce a plan but clearly it is in trepidation as they make it clear that FAQs will be published afterwards. This happened over the Supporters' Committee and while some will say it is the Club listening, the problem is they don't have any proper forum to test these issues other than announcing them and then modifying them afterwards as a result of supporter reaction and feedback.
It would be much better to consult and get these things 98% right from the start than being 75% right but then modifying afterwards - the problem of course is that they have no proper way of consulting.
For me the £5 is irrelevant as a fee - it is no sort of way of establishing a commitment due to the sum involved. If they had thought this through they should have joined up the dots and done this:
1. Announced what they plan to do and tidy up the "database" by sending the letters;
2. Established whatever the number is of those interested in staying on the list as they have said, but the cost of doing this should have been the Club's to cover as it is the Club's historic errors that have led to this problem but;
3. Then to have announced their increased ST target and approach to a capacity change (new stadium or refurbishment) and what this would mean for how many new STH would be created;
4. If the target was to create (for instance) 12000 new STH in the future, then at that point, armed with the cleaned up database they could proceed;
5, If there were say 25000 still on the list (at varying levels of commitment) then at that point they go to the first 12000 and ask for £50. This would secure your place and be deducted from your first (future) ST.
6. Those that were having a punt would be flushed out and they would work their way down the 25000 waiting list until 12000 committed their £50;
7. If you wanted to bail at any time you could but you'd lose your place (although you'd get your £50 back) and they'd replace you with the next person.
8. The result would be (prior to an increase in capacity) that there would be the 12000 secured awaiting the increase in capacity, the Club had proper commitments from them and no one was paying money where there was little or no chance of getting a ST
So, in summary, a two stage process that results in the Club having their target STH increase secured, committed and for the individual supporter the knowledge that their deposit had got them in while the capacity was increased but no one was getting ripped off.