OUR CHARTER, BYLAWS AND REGULATIONS
Charter
Our Royal Charter was granted by Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of the Privy Council on 27 July 2004. The Charter states the objectives Society, what it may and must do, and how it may be run.
In defining the objects of the RPS, the Charter states:
"The objects of The Society are to educate members of the public by increasing their knowledge and understanding of Photography and in doing so to promote the highest standards of achievement in Photography in order to encourage public appreciation of Photography.
In this Charter 'Photography' shall mean the Art or Science of the recording of light or other radiation on any medium on which an image is produced or from which any image may by any means be produced."
The Charter prevails if there is any conflict in meaning or instruction with the ByLaws or Rules, and the ByLaws prevail over the Rules.
By-Laws
The By-Laws set out, at a high level, how the RPS is run. They were approved by the Privy Council and issued with the Royal Charter in 2004. You can download a copy of the 2004 By-Laws here.
Our By Laws may only be amended with the consent of the Privy Council. Following a major governance review in 2020-2021 and to reflect the current operational and governance processes of the RPS, the Board of Trustees proposed a revision of these By Laws. Such a revision was endorsed by the Members at an AGM held 23 September 2023. You can download a copy of the proposed 2023 By-Laws here.
The RPS President is liaising with the Privy Council Office to secure approval of these proposed By Laws, endorsed by the Members of the RPS at an AGM held 23 September 2023.
Regulations
The Regulations are being developed by the Board of Trustees and this process will involve consultation with Members and stakeholders. The Regulations will be a major initiative of the Board of Trustees from September 2021. The President will update Members as this work is progressed.
Strategy
In 2020, Simon Hill HonFRPS, then President Elect and now President, led a review of the Society’s strategic aims and direction. Evan Dawson (CEO) and Heather Field (Trustee) subsequently drew on that work and spent many months working with other Trustees, Members, Staff and stakeholders to develop a new Strategic Plan for the RPS: Strategic Plan 2021-2026 - Photography for Everyone. You can download a copy of the Strategic Plan here.
Annual Reports
Each year, our Trustees' Annual Report and Accounts are approved at the AGM and submitted to the Charity Commission. Please click the following links to download the most recent reports:
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
For a copy of our 2022 Annual Report, please click here.
Committees
Find out more about our committees
OTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
The following policies and guidelines are available for general reference. Further guidelines and policies may be available for members and volunteers when logged in to the website.
Member Code of Conduct Our Members are expected to support one another at all times and behave in a way that protects the reputation of the RPS. This document details our expectations of Member conduct. Our Complaints Process shows how we manage any complaints that are received.
Privacy Policy Our privacy policy explains what personal information we hold and how we use it. It explains the legal basis we use for processing personal information and your rights with regard to this.
Website terms and conditions Our website terms and conditions outline our basis and expectations for the provision of this website and our expectations for how it will be used. It also explains our use of cookies on the website.
Complaints If you have an issue or complaint about the RPS, we ask you to first take this up with an appropriate member of staff. If you are still dissatisfied, then you may escalate to a manager or if necessary email complaints@rps.org. As a final resort, we have a formal complaints procedure, which may be used if, regrettably, we have not been able to address your issue.