Ref A: Articles of Association

Ref B: Member Code of Conduct

Ref C: Volunteer Charter

Ref D: Festival Code of Conduct

Ref E: Model Branch Constitution

Ref F: Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure

Ref G: Guidance for dealing with complaints

The Campaign is administered by The Campaign for Real Ale Limited; a company whose Articles of Association dictate the way the Campaign is to be organised and operated.

All members, as a condition of joining CAMRA, agree to abide by the Articles of Association of the Campaign and to abide by the Member Code of Conduct, Volunteer Charter, Festival Code of Conduct and the Model Branch Constitution. New members will be directed to the Volunteer Resources Area of the CAMRA website to access these documents.

New and existing members will be reminded annually about their responsibilities as a CAMRA member e.g. Member Code of Conduct in communications about their membership.

Any member is entitled to stand for CAMRA’s National Executive (NE). The National Executive Elections Guidance must be followed in these circumstances.

Regular information about the Campaign at a UK-wide level shall be disseminated, to appropriate members who hold a formal CAMRA position, or to members who sign up to receive such communications, usually via a weekly communication containing information that shall also be available on the Volunteer Resources Area of the CAMRA website.

Other methods of communication may be adopted where necessary.

All members of the Campaign will treat each other fairly and shall not unlawfully discriminate against any persons regardless of background, or any protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010.

Branches will provide a welcoming environment for all members and ensure all activities are carried out in accordance with the Equality Act, including giving due consideration to reasonable adjustments requested by members.

Further information is in the Member Code of Conduct.

The responsibilities of branch committees, campaigning, meetings and other CAMRA activities are set out in the Model Branch Constitution.

Any alteration to the Model Branch Constitution proposed by any branch must be approved by the NE or a duly authorised representative and the updated version lodged with the Finance Team at the CAMRA Office.

All branches of CAMRA and every other group or committee within CAMRA must keep electronic minutes of all meetings, using the CAMRA meetings template where possible, and make those minutes available on request to the appropriate Regional Director or the NE, national, and regional committees.

Branch representatives will disseminate information communicated via the weekly volunteer communication to members in an appropriate format and in a timely manner.

To oversee and guide branches the Campaign is divided into several regions led by a Regional Director (RD).

A region is defined by one or more counties/territories/countries, and the make-up may vary from time-to-time to suit the aims of the Campaign. Where a branch does not fit in its entirety within a county it will report and be overseen by only one RD.

Information on regions is available here Our Regions - CAMRA - The Campaign for Real Ale

RDs are members of the Regions and Branches Committee. The committee shall consist of the Regional Director for each geographic region (or a designated deputy in their absence).

The Regional Directors will nominate a Chair and Vice Chair for that committee to be ratified by the NE.

The objectives of the Regions and Branches Committee shall be to support the aims and objectives of CAMRA within their geographical region.

The Regions and Branches Committee shall hold meetings at least four times in a calendar year. Any member of CAMRA shall be free to attend unless otherwise notified in advance.

Each Regional Director will appoint a Regional Leadership Team. This can include a Deputy Regional Director, Regional Finance Officer, County Co-ordinator or Area Organisers (titles may vary dependent on the Region) and other roles as required by the region (e.g. Regional Cider Coordinator, Regional Transport Coordinator). The role guidance documents are in the Volunteer Resources Area of the CAMRA website.

Regional and national committees, except for Disciplinary Committee and Finance and General Purposes Committee, shall make their minutes available to all members in the Volunteer Resources Area of the website (via the Volunteer Support Manager or equivalent staff role).

Clear signposting to the location of minutes shall be provided, and minutes provided in accordance with Section 5.

Details of what services are available for people with additional needs such as visual and auditory impairments shall be published, and branches advised on how publications and websites can be improved. Examples of this include provision of alternative formats including large print.

Documents published online should be compatible with commonly available screen reader technology.

All members are ambassadors for CAMRA and must behave in a manner that reflects this. More information is in the Member Code of Conduct.

No member shall ask for or expect a discount for beer or other products or services in any venue, unless a discount is clearly advertised as available to CAMRA members. If a venue wants to offer a discount, that can be freely accepted by the member. This includes the use of the vouchers issued annually as part of CAMRA membership.

CAMRA recognises the importance of its volunteers, those who contribute their time, energy and skills to support our Campaign and believes everyone has the right to perform these activities in a way that protects their whole person, safety, and dignity.

In line with CAMRA’s Complaints and Disciplinary Process, any member who is believed to have contravened the Articles of Association, Member Code of Conduct, Volunteer Code of Conduct, or behaved in a way that could lead to litigation against or reputational damage to CAMRA may be the subject of a complaint, following the process in Appendix One of the Complaints and Disciplinary Process.

Where a member does anything which is prima facie detrimental to the interests of CAMRA the following sanctions can be applied on an interim or permanent basis:

1. Suspension of membership under Article 16 of the Articles of Association.

2. Suspension or dismissal from any position within CAMRA.

3. Prohibition from participating in any, or specified, CAMRA activities.

Upon the raising of a complaint it will be assigned to an appropriate individual according to the process set out in the Complaints and Disciplinary Process.

If a complaint cannot be resolved at the initial level set out in the Complaints and Disciplinary Process, it can be escalated to Disciplinary Committee for advice and resolution.

Any complaints which are considered serious in nature will be referred to Disciplinary Committee in the first instance. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Actions that risk litigation against or reputational damage to CAMRA.

• Actions that would be reportable to the Police as a criminal offence.

• Criminal charges levied against a member which would be heard in a Crown Court.

If a member is in dispute with CAMRA but has not been involved in any actions that warrant disciplinary action (under the paragraph above or as outlined in the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure), the NE or a member appointed by the NE, including, but not restricted to, a Regional Director, may assist in resolving the dispute. This shall not be considered as disciplinary action.

If, after taking action to assist in resolving the dispute, there is considered to be a disciplinary matter to be addressed, this shall be undertaken following the guidance in the above paragraphs.

At all stages of the formal disciplinary process, a member of CAMRA National Executive, who has been designated as such and has suitable authority, will facilitate the procedure. This member and all other disciplinary committee members dealing with the case must not have been previously involved in the case, nor have previously been subject to disciplinary action where a ruling went against them and a formal sanction applied, or be currently under investigation.

Appeals

Members subject to a disciplinary process can appeal as set out in the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure.

Appeals must satisfy one of the following conditions to be considered:

• New evidence has come to light which may have changed the original decision made.

• The process set out in the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure was followed incorrectly.

• The sanction applied was disproportionate.