Relating to Action 23 above, it was agreed there should ...



MINUTES OF BRANCHES COMMITTEE MEETINGFRIDAY 15th/SATURDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2019, COMMENCING 6PMAT THE WHITE ROCK HOTEL, HASTINGS.1. Present: S. Crawford (Chairman) (SC), A. Aspin (AA), C. Brett (CB), A. Briers (AB), C. Charters (CC), G. Donning (GD), C. Griffin (CG), N. Jones (NJ), K. Keaveny (KK), G. MacDonald (GMD), K. Mendham (KM), G. Strawbridge (GS), G. Timmins (GT) Attending: S. Newson (Minutes) (SN), P. Adams (PA) (part), L. Atack (LA) (part), R. Bray (RB), J. Crawford (JC), G. Hough (GH) (part), I. Lee (IL) (representing North East), P. Page-Mitchell (PPM) (representing Surrey & Sussex), P. Sanders (PS), T. Stainer (TS) (part), P. Tench (PT) (representing Merseyside & Cheshire) Apologies: N. Bosley (NB), D. Brazier (DB) Before the meeting started, GT gave a tribute to Chris Stringer, who had recently died. Glasses were raised in memory of a great friend and dedicated campaigner. SC proposed GS as the new Branches Committee Vice Chairman. This was unanimously approved by the Committee. Action – SC to ask NE to ratify GS as the new BC Vice-Chairman.2.Minutes of Previous Meeting – 7th/8th December, 2018, Cambridge. Accuracy and Approval – the minutes were formally approved as accurate by the meeting. NE Responses to BC Questions – SC had collated these.SC referred to the recently circulated undated ‘Cascade to Branches’. It was felt this should be out within 2 weeks of the NE meeting and that they shouldn’t question the way things work, eg RD representatives on committees.2.3 Action Minutes – 1) Ongoing; 2) Ongoing; 3) Done; 4) Remove; 5) Done; 6) Done; 7) Ongoing; 8) Done; 9) Done; 10) Done; 11) Done; 12) Ongoing; 13) Done; 14) Done; 15) Done; 16) Done; 17) Done; 18) Done; 19) Done; 20) Done; 21) Done; 22) Done; 23) Done; 24) Done; 25) Remove; 26) Ongoing2.4 Matters Arising –Relating to Action 23 above, it was agreed there should always be a joint session with the NE. It wasn’t necessary to have a specific topic to discuss. It was noted that the NE need time to answer queries but there should be opportunities to challenge the NE. RDs need to work with the NE as they had so much experience to offer and this should be tapped into. RDs can also bounce ideas of their mentor. The NE don’t all chair national committees as there are too many. Cross-communication was needed and the NE and RDs need to know their brief and should know what happens on all national committees. There is a need to link up and work smarter. It was noted there is a distinction between governance and organisation.Action – GD to chase up progress of Equality & Diversity Survey with the NE. 3. Office Report 3.1General UpdateTS provided a brief general update. KO had sent his apologies, but he was thanked for the supply of biscuits! Staff will be supporting the GBBF – W.Extra cask lifters have been bought and others have been fixed. 4 KeyKeg walls have been built for festivals to use.There are new marketing brand guidelines but their use is not mandatory.There have been recent changes within Books Committee. RDs will be made aware of and be involved with new book titles.The possibility of having a central CAMRA bank account could be considered.Any Health & Safety incidents should be reported promptly and responsibility should never be admitted.Interviews are ongoing for a new Campaigns Assistant and the Office is nearly back to full strength. The Education Space at the recent MBCF went well and may be rolled out to other festivals. It was noted that it was difficult finding meeting rooms with disabled access.The meeting recognized the importance of keeping up to date the Office database of local authorities’ pub protection policies, initially compiled by Emma Healey. Branches’ assistance might be sought via RDs, as GS had requested for London. ‘Good’ councils should be praised where appropriate. TS would keep branches informed where such publicity was in view.Dates for more COBAS training were requested from A. Gibson.RDs noted some branches had contact problems with the warehouse. It was asked whether equipment value should be depreciated. TS will ask KO about this. Not all branches list equipment and it needs to be for insurance purposes. A standard form would help – perhaps it could be in COBAS. RDs need to get a list of branches that are not complying. Documentation is needed on who owns what, eg if it’s personal equipment.RDs also want to see the loans/donations information from branches.More branch committee members should receive GDPR invitations.It was noted that there were inaccuracies in the list of active members, with more being listed on Stratum than appear in reports. Perhaps this inconsistency could be looked into.3.2IT Update More volunteers with IT knowledge are getting involved with the new IT strategy.Work on the new website is still progressing, but it is not quite ready.4.Regional ReportsCentral Southern – Concern was raised about the decreasing number of volunteers. GMD noted success with holding regional campaigning events. This could be a pub crawl that included campaigning activities, eg a presentation. Some branches share roles as there is too much burden on branches, so they just ‘idle’. Some roles can be done at home on a computer – it isn’t always necessary to attend meetings. Branch minutes are sent out to the branch membership.East Anglia – Nothing to add to report.East Midlands – Nothing to add to report.Greater London – The continued loss of the Pub Heritage website is a major concern. This is impacting on sales of books, etc. Action – SC to ask NE for timeframe of availability of Pub Heritage website. GS noted that both the IPD and EPD needed some restructuring and updating.The Landlord & Tenant Act is being increasingly used to take pubs into management and evict tenants rather than renew their leases. The region felt tenants should be given the opportunity to buy their pubs as going concerns at a fair market value, if wished. Action – AB to ask PCC for a national campaign for an appropriate change to the Landlord & Tenant Act. Greater Manchester – A new branch cider rep had produced a local ‘Cider Map’ for central Manchester. However, the RCC didn’t like it or his Branch Report. AB stated that if an RD has any issues with the RCC, they should contact her. There will be a spreadsheet of compliant ciders out soon; however it is vital that information is accurate to avoid the possibility of being sued. It was stressed this list was needed now. Perhaps the definition is too precise. Pasteurisation has a specific definition so it may be better to use the term ‘hot filled’. If a cider with an offensive name is delivered to a festival, it should be renamed before going on sale. RCCs will be asked to work more closely with their RD in future. AB asked GD to pass on appreciation to the new Branch Cider Rep for his efforts. The meeting adjourned at 8.55pm and resumed 9.30am Saturday.Kent – KM is standing down as RD soon and needs help with organising an NE/RD Weekend next February. However, it was suggested this be swapped with the one scheduled for the West Midlands in September. There was now a possibility that both Weekends may be held in the West Midlands. Merseyside & Cheshire – The possibility of amalgamating some posts, eg treasurer, to cover a few branches had been suggested. A degree of flexibility is helpful but it’s up to each RD as to what suits them best. North East – Nothing to add to report.Scotland & Northern Ireland – Over 1100 people have already registered for the Dundee Members’ Weekend. Things are progressing well and some local pubs are putting on real ale and cider, that don’t normally sell it. There will be useful fringe events.South West – Nothing to add to report.Surrey & Sussex – Nothing to add to report.Wales – Plans for the Wales Super Beer & Cider Festival 2020 are progressing. However, using the Business Plan proved to be very complicated and it seemed to have secret passwords. The Welsh Perry & Cider Society want to run a joint festival with CAMRA. It was suggested F. Lock be contacted for advice or perhaps sign an ‘In Association’ form. The Cellar Door, Newport was a finalist in Cider POTY and the celebration received good publicity.Wessex – NJ asked why there was no access to NBSS scores for RDs. This will happen soon. Action – CB to ask ITSG (or WhatPub SG) for RDs to get access to NBSS scores. There is no Beer Cities template as this is organised by a national group, and not CAMRA. Festivals held in pubs can be good too. Discuss with the pubs about the idea of having members there to talk to customers about CAMRA, with magazines, etc. There could be some brief guidelines issued. Pubs could offer stamps on a card for visiting, etc. It is important for CAMRA to be seen supporting pubs. Action – RDs to gather information from branches on pub ale trails. A central document is needed to share best practice. Action – AB to ask PCC to produce a central document on pub ale trails and put it on the website. More pubs are closing early, so if visiting a rural pub, it may be best to ring first to check. The importance of keeping opening hours updated on WhatPub needs stressing to branches. If a pub knows in advance people are coming, they will often stay open.West Midlands – There was a request to form a ‘Regional Womens’ support group. Manchester has a ‘Ladies Day’ and this encourages more females to attend events. A brief general discussion on positive discrimination followed. There was a lack of NE visibility at meetings and festivals. Action – SC to ask NE/Governance Review Group to consider expanding NE numbers to cope with demand. Ask NE members to meetings, etc and they will often make every effort to attend.West Pennines – The next Regional Meeting is on 18th May, not 11th. It was felt that licensees shouldn’t have access to NBSS scores. Some high scores were being pinned up in pubs with low scoring pubs also shown. This is confidential to CAMRA – refer to the Code of Conduct. It is important to declare an interest eg, not voting for PotY, etc. It should be recommended to branches that they don’t have licensees handling NBSS data. They need to be impartial as it is a sensitive post which could be open to abuse. However, it’s important to encourage people to vote and it needs publicising more. Branches want campaigning from above to get their teeth into. They are not really interested in governance, etc. It was pointed out there is often advice in the branch mailouts. Alex Metcalfe, CAMRA’s Information, Education & Training Manager, is happy to attend Regional Meetings. Noise issues in pubs are a concern for some members. Yorkshire – It appears the Greene King discount scheme will only be for ‘off-peak’ pub times. The KeyKeg toppers with ‘CAMRA Says This is Real Ale’, don’t fit the fonts. It is best to punch a hole in them and thread string through them allowing them to be easily removed as necessary. There is no national roll-out as yet. 5.Referrals to Branches Committee Apple want branches to publicise their cider promotion events more and these should be submitted for inclusion on the national website. From Awards Review Group, regarding magazine and website judging, RDs were asked to judge and submit the best in their region, to go forward for inter-regional judging. A deadline is needed. Action – CB to find out deadline for magazine and website judging. RDs should consider holding regional awards events where CBOB winners are presented, etc. Also invite your BLC. Any ideas for new awards should be sent to GT. One region is producing a Foreign Legion style medal for foreign beer winners.There is to be a Clubs Workshop on 18th May at the Dartford Working Men’s Club. It was felt that communication from HQ regarding CotY was munications Committee now has a few professional journalists on it. Branch magazines can self-nominate. Action – KK to ask Communications Committee for brief ‘Social Media’ guidelines. It’s important to be careful what you put!GS will attend the forthcoming meeting of CPC.GS noted that he had not yet seen the minutes from Festivals Committee. Health & Safety ‘red flags’ need tracking to ensure remedial action is taken, as necessary.From Finance Committee, GS noted there will be tighter budgetary control in 2019.Games & Collectables held their AGM recently. Tombola arrangements are changing and they won’t be accepting returns in the future and there will be no glasses returns either. It was noted that ‘retro’ games are popular, eg space invaders. There are fewer staff and fewer Store Days. More helpers are needed. However, there is no expenses budget and some people can’t afford to attend. Action – GS to ask Finance Committee about some expenses for Store Days. This might encourage new people to come and it could also be a social event.CB noted that ITSG is being split into 2 groups, the IT Strategy Group and the IT Priority Committee. Action – SC to ask NE for an IT projects timeline. The next meeting of PCC is on 2nd March and PHG is on 9th March. The recent Historic Pubs seminar was well received. It’s important that all members keep an eye on heritage pubs.Regarding RACP Committee, it was asked about the possibility of having Cider Liaison Officers although there is no BIS equivalent. ‘Spile’ could be used to enter cider scores. Although not that many people may be interested in becoming a CLO, where they are, they can be appointed. Action – AB to ask Apple Committee to consider a CLO role. The BLO role description could just be amended.From BLAG, it was noted that the BLC/BLO role description needs to be visible and accessible. Some committees have conference calls, but these are not always minuted. It was felt that at the least, brief notes should be recorded.Action – CB to ask WhatPub Steering Group to publish their minutes for the past year. 6.Any Other Business NJ asked if there was a national contract for ordering clothing centrally? Action – CB to ask Marketing Committee why there isn’t a national contract for ordering clothing centrally?GD raised the ‘smaller measures’ issue. This falls under Weight & Measures and it is currently illegal to offer these, eg, unmeasured samples at festivals. The law would need changing to allow it. Action – GD to ask NE about changes to legislation re smaller measures.CB noted the Regional Planner is not user-friendly and is not compatible with the new website. A national Google calendar is being worked on. CB will take over the NE/RD Weekend Schedule.7.Referrals to National ExecutiveThese were as follows:-Ratification of GS as new BC Vice-ChairmanEquality & Diversity Survey progressTimeframe for availability of Pub Heritage websiteKent region concernsConsider if NE numbers need expandingTimeline for IT ProjectsChange in law regarding ‘smaller measures’8.Dates & Locations of Future MeetingsJune 28th/29thGreater Manchester (Bolton)September 20th/21stWest Midlands (Birmingham)November 15th/16thEast Midlands (Grantham)The meeting finished at 1pm. B.C. Action MinutesBold No. = Items for Regional MeetingsREF.SUBJECTACTIONWHOM 105/18 –14NE/RD Weekends ScheduleTo revisit this to try to make length of time between regions more equitableSC206/18 –15GDPR Compliant Volunteer FormAsk Volunteers & Membership Committees about producing thisNB310/18 –17Discriminatory Policies Regarding ExpensesAsk Volunteers Committee to look into thisNB412/18 – 2Pub Minibus SchemesAsk PCC for guidanceKK512/18 –16GovernanceDiscuss this with branchesRDs602/19 – 1New BC Vice-ChairmanAsk NE to ratify GSSC702/19 – 2Equality & Diversity SurveyChase up progress with NEGD802/19 – 3Pub Heritage Website AvailabilityAsk NE for timeframe on thisSC902/19 – 4 Landlord & Tenant ActAsk PCC for national campaign for appropriate change to thisAB1002/19 – 5RD Access to NBSS ScoresAsk ITSG/WPSG for RDs to have accessCB1102/19 – 6Pub Ale TrailsGather information from branches on theseRDs1202/19 – 7Central Document on Pub Ale TrailsAsk PCC to produce and put on websiteAB1302/19 – 8Expanding number of NE MembersAsk NE/Governance Review Group aboutSC1402/19 – 9Magazine and Website JudgingTo find out deadline for thisCB1502/19 –10‘Social media’ GuidelinesAsk Communications Committee for theseKK1602/19 –11Some ‘Store Day’ ExpensesAsk Finance Committee about thisGS1702/19 –12IT Projects TimelineAsk NE for thisSC1802/19 –13Cider Liaison Officer RoleAsk Apple Committee to consider thisAB1902/19 –14 WhatPub Steering Group MinutesAsk these are published for the past yearCB2002/19 –15National Contract for Ordering Clothing CentrallyAsk Marketing Committee about thisCB2102/19 –16‘Smaller Measure’ LegislationAsk NE to campaign for changesGDSPN 22/02/19GS 22/02/19 ................
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