CAMRA should work closer with family brewers
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) should focus on three or four campaigns a year and work closer with family brewers and trade associations, former MP John Grogan has advised.
The former chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, who headed up CAMRA's Strategy Review Group, unveiled the 70-page "fit for Purpose" document at the organisations annual AGM in Sheffield at the weekend.
It recommended that the group should work closer with organisations such as SIBA and IFBB, improve communication with its membership, involve members more in strategic planning and improve its strategy for recruiting younger people.
He also suggested it may be time to consider a rebranding of CAMRA's logo to modernise.
In the 70-page report Grogan said: "The strategic plan of 2013 will be the third of its kind and it needs to be crisper and more focused than its predecessors.
"CAMRA is a respected and familiar presence at Westminster, Strasbourg, Edinburgh and Cardiff but it needs to renew its relationship with family brewers as well as the microbrewers."
The National Executive of CAMRA will use the recommendations to produce the next five-year plan.
Other motions passed at the AGM include:
• The Public Transport Advisory Group will be reinstated to advise branches on issues related to the use of public transport in support of pubs.
• Lobby the European Union and the UK Government over the reduction of excise duty on low strength beers. Calls to increase the current 2.8% ABV cut off point to 3.5% ABV.
• Oppose calls from Diageo and others to equalise duty rates on beer and spirits and campaign for an alcohol tax system that encourages the responsible and sociable consumption of beer in pubs.
• Campaign against the growing practice of breweries selling beers under a different brewery name, giving the impression that the beers are from a separate independent brewery.
• All sections of CAMRA must highlight the fact that the VAT increase, and the failure to ban the sale of alcohol at below cost, will further undermine pubs.
• Lobby the Government to extend plans to give a community time to raise funds to buy their local pub and prevent owners unreasonably rejecting community bids. Work to enhance the legal, business and financial support available for community pub ownership.
• The position of Community Pub Minister must be made a permanent position. Push for the Welsh Assembly Government and Scottish Government to appoint Community Pubs Ministers.
• The power of the Planning Inspectorate to overturn local planning decisions should be limited to instances where the local planning decision was unreasonable or procedurally unfair.
• Call on Government to pursue a statutory code of practice requiring pub companies with more than 500 tied pubs to provide every tied lessee with a guest beer right and a free of tie option.
