CAMRA’s annual Conference is held alongside the Annual General Meeting and Members’ Weekend each year. It is a place for members to debate proposed changes to external and internal Campaign policy.  

Each year, members, branches, and regions propose motions for debate and Conference Procedures Committee decides which should be placed on the Order Paper for debate. 

Conference Procedures Committee met on the eve of the opening of Conference (Friday 21 April) to discuss amendments, emergency motions and appeals on motions that were rejected for inclusion on the Order Paper. The committee discussed three amendments, one emergency motion and heard two appeals.

Two of the amendments were in order, and as they were proposed by the proposers of the original motion, Motions 7 and 8 were then debated as amended. A further amendment to Motion 4 was rejected on the grounds that it would materially alter the subject of the motion to restate existing Campaign policy. 

The emergency motion was withdrawn by the proposers following discussion, on the undertaking that the Campaign’s chairman would give written assurances to the proposers that the proposals from the Regions Review were not final and still subject to changes following consultation with affected branches.  

Both appeals on rejected motions were dismissed. The results from the debate on motions are below.  

Motion 1 - carried 

Proposers: National Executive  

This Conference agrees to adopt the policies in place at the start of this Conference, subject to any amendments to policy decided at this Conference.  

Motion 2 – remitted to the National Executive 

Proposers: Ralph Warrington and Paul Sanders  

This Conference instructs the National Executive to align the Campaign Policy on the marketing of beer and cider with the wording of paragraph 3.3 of the Portman Group Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks: A drink’s name, its packaging and any promotional material or activity should not cause serious or widespread offence.  

This motion was remitted to the National Executive, which means it will consider further action that may need to be taken in the spirit of the motion, and considering points made during debate. It’s important to note that CAMRA already has policies and procedures in place relating to discriminatory and offensive marketing of products, which many felt to be more robust than the current wording in the Portman Group’s Code of Practice.

Motion 3 - defeated 

Proposers: Scotland and Northern Ireland branches  

This Conference instructs the National Executive to amend the search facility on WhatPub to default to pubs and clubs offering real ale, cider or perry but that a search for all pubs and clubs should still be an option.  

Motion 4 - defeated 

Proposers: Rochdale, Oldham and Bury  

This Conference agrees the term craft beer is confusing and instructs the National Executive to ensure the term is no longer used in any CAMRA publications and communications.  

Motion 5 – withdrawn by the proposers 

Proposers: Rochdale, Oldham and Bury  

This Conference notes that beer sold in key kegs may not be real ale. Accordingly, it instructs the National Executive to ensure this fact is widely known and to lobby the UK Government to introduce legislation to ensure clear indication is given at the point of dispense as to whether such beer is real ale and served without extraneous carbon dioxide.  

Motion 5 was withdrawn by the proposers following a discussion with the national chairman. The proposers intended to amend the motion, and then received assurances from the national chairman that the amended motion could be implemented within existing policy, so a motion would not be needed.  

Motion 6 - carried 

Proposers: Arun and Adur  

This Conference instructs the National Executive to include pub opening hours for entries from the Good Beer Guide 2025 onwards.  

Motion 7 (amended) – carried 

Proposers: Peter Goddard and Christine Jane  

This Conference instructs the National Executive to produce a monthly newsletter in printed and digital format, mailed to all members that have agreed to receive communications from CAMRA, updating them on campaigns and how they can get involved, together with details of CAMRA events plus real ale and cider festivals taking place nationally and regionally.   

Motion 8 (amended) – defeated  

Proposers: Colin Valentine and Steve Bury                           

This Conference agrees the hustings of a candidate for the National Executive is a matter for them and the electorate. It therefore instructs the National Executive to cease the issuance of mandatory guidelines for candidates to which they must adhere in order for them to be published, except the word count, and to disband any committee or working group set up to enforce these guidelines or to vet hustings in any way.  

The motion submission process for Conference in 2024 will open later this year, usually starting in October or November. Nominations to stand for election to Conference Procedures Committee will open at the same time.  

This year, almost everyone who proposed motions sought drafting advice from Conference Procedures Committee beforehand, with many of those motions being placed on the Order Paper (motions for debate).  

This shows the value of using the drafting advice service from the committee, which can help you craft a motion based on your aims and objectives, or direct you to other ways to engage with CAMRA on your proposed motion subject, if a motion to Conference is not the best option.  

If you want to find out more about Conference Procedures Committee, or Conference in general, you can find more information and contact details at camra.org.uk/cpc