Yes, Reg.
The old model had its problems, e.g. I recall someone I knew becoming a council member & seeking to improve the administration & increase inclusiveness*. He was concerned about shrinking & aging membership - though he was an old member in both senses. I think he got somewhere, but it wasn't without frustration. IIRC "hidebound" was said.
*Led a local ride of a type he wouldn't normally do, just to see what it was like. I met him at the bar of the destination, having been working until too late to join the ride, & he said to me "There are lots of people here I've never seen before! And different bikes! It's wonderful!", or words to that effect. Mad keen on encouraging people who weren't retired tourer-riding middle-class white men like himself, but there was a bit of resistance in some quarters.