CAMBRIDGE & DISTRICT GROUP MEETING (BY ZOOM) – 18 SEPTEMBER AT 2PM

The next quarterly meeting of the Cambridge & District group will be held on Monday 18 September, at 2 pm, by Zoom.  Please see newsletter for instructions on how to join the meeting.  The meeting ID is 821 6322 1261 and the passcode is a0Si2g.  It is helpful if you could join the meeting promptly for 2 pm.  We hope that as many of you as possible will be able to take part.

AGENDA

1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of the June meeting.
3. Matters arising from the minutes if any
4. Reports: (a) Chair

(b) Treasurer 

(c) Secretary

• Mandating of delegate to the 2023 AGM
• Any other business
• Date of next meeting

Yours sincerely

Sue Davies

Secretary, Cambridge & District Group

NEWSLETTER – AUGUST 2023

  Notes from the Committee

We are going to be holding our next meeting, on Monday 18 September, again via Zoom.  Although we only had a small number of people joining our virtual meeting in June, feedback from members indicates that there are many people who live at a distance from Cambridge and who would prefer to be able to join a meeting from the comfort of their own home. Matters were not helped for our June meeting by the fact that many people did not appear to have received the agenda that had been sent to CSPA Head Office for mailing to members.  We do not seem to be alone in this problem, since the AGM agenda includes a motion from Bedford & District group expressing concern about delays in processing information sent by local groups.  The information about how to access Zoom meetings, which appeared in the May newsletter, is therefore repeated below.

The AGM motion on social care put forward by our group has been accepted by the Standing Orders Committee and appears on the AGM agenda – the agenda will appear as a supplement to the autumn issue of The Pensioner.  The Cambridge motion notes the concerns of local authority social workers who work with vulnerable adults, including elderly people, about excessive workloads and workers leaving the profession, and calls upon the CSPA to campaign for adequate funding for adult social work.

The main business of the September meeting will be to tell our AGM delegate (who will be Sue Davies) how to vote on the various motions.  This is your chance to influence Alliance policy, so please take the time to have a look through the agenda when it’s available; to join us on 18 September; and to have your say on any motions with which you particularly agree or disagree, especially if you feel they may be controversial.

How to access our Zoom meeting

1. It is immensely helpful if I have an email address to which I can send a meeting invitation.  Numbers of members have already supplied an email address – thank you! – but if I do not have your email address on record, please contact me (see contact details below).  Your email address will only be used for CSPA purposes and will never be shared with any third parties.
2. You will also need a device, with internet access, on which to take part in the meeting.  A PC or laptop is recommended, simply to give you a bigger screen, but you can use a smartphone.  Your device will need to have a microphone; a webcam is highly desirable, although not absolutely essential.
3. A few days before the meeting, I will send you an invitation email that will contain a link and a meeting ID (a 10 or 11 digit number) and a passkey (plus the minutes of the last meeting).  These are also given in the meeting agenda.
4. You do not need to have Zoom installed on your device in order to access the meeting.  However, it costs nothing and may make joining the meeting more foolproof. If you do not already have Zoom installed, and want to download it, Google “Zoom download centre.”  From the download centre, select “Zoom desktop client” to install on a PC or laptop.  If you want to install Zoom on a mobile device, you can get it from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
5. Shortly before the start of the meeting, go to the invitation email and click on the link.  If you have Zoom installed, a box will come up inviting you to open Zoom.  Open the app, and you should go straight in to the meeting; if not, click on “launch meeting.”  You may also be presented with a box asking about audio settings:  click on “use computer audio.” (Be aware that, if you have Zoom installed and have not used it for a bit, it may demand that you update it to the latest version, 5.14.18.  Allow a few minutes for this.)
6. If the host (me) has not yet joined the meeting, you will be put into a “waiting room.”  You can use the time to test your audio settings if you wish.  Once I join, I will “admit” you to the meeting.  You should then see other participants; if you do not see yourself, click on the video camera icon on the menu bar to enable the webcam.
7. If you do not have Zoom installed, you will get a dialog box prompting you to either download Zoom or join from your browser.  If you want to join from your browser (perhaps because you are using a device borrowed from a family member or friend), choose this option.  You will be directed to a new page.  Click “Allow” to give Zoom permission to use your camera and microphone.  Sign in with your name to join the meeting, and then click on Join.
8. If you have problems accessing the meeting, close everything down and start Zoom again.  Click on Join Meeting.  In the dialog box that comes up, type in the meeting ID, and your name.  Click on Join again.  You will then be prompted to enter the password (given in your invitation email).  You should now be admitted to the meeting.
9. If you have not received an invitation email, proceed as in (8) above – the meeting ID and password are given on the meeting agenda.
10. If you find the whole thing daunting, there are several “how to” videos on YouTube.  Try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E.  (Unfortunately, however, we cannot give you the option of joining the meeting by phone, because it needs the meeting host to have the superior, paid-for version of Zoom, which I do not have.)

Sue Davies

News Roundup

“No credible strategy” to tackle digital exclusion

The Parliamentary Communications and Digital Committee has published a report on Digital Exclusion which concludes that the Government has “no credible plan” to tackle digital exclusion.  The Committee’s recommendations include increased help for those who are excluded because they cannot afford smartphones and other hardware, and broadband tariffs; and the expansion of “digital inclusion hubs,” with more support for libraries and community venues that provide IT access.  Commenting on the report, CSPA Acting General Secretary David Luxton makes the point that it is also vital to provide alternative, non-digital ways of accessing services.

Free prescription age frozen at 60

The Government has confirmed that everyone over the age of 60 will continue to receive free prescriptions.  This follows a consultation on whether entitlement to free prescriptions should be aligned with the state pension age.  The consultation received over 117,000 responses, most opposing any change.  Exemptions from prescription charges for under-60s in receipt of certain benefits will also continue.  According to the Government, nine out of 10 prescriptions are free of charge.

Commissioner for Older People and Ageing

Age UK is campaigning for the Government to establish a Commissioner for Older People in England (Wales and Northern Ireland already have one).  He or she would act as an independent champion for people in later life, promoting joined up thinking in government about the needs of older people.  The charity has signed up to a statement of support for the idea, along with more than 70 other organisations, including the CSPA.  A Commissioner, Age Concern believes, would highlight the positive contributions made to society by older people, and challenge ageist attitudes.

Paying 2023/24 subscriptions

Please think about making a £3 voluntary subscription to the Group.  It really does help to pay our running expenses.  We recommend payment by Standing Order, which should be set for 15 January.  The group’s banking details are:

Bank – Barclays, Cambridge branch

Sort code – 20-17-19

Account number 60130990 

The standing order reference should be CSPACAMyour name, with your name as the suffix and no other characters or spaces. You can of course pay your subscription by cheque or in cash. Cheques should be sent to the Treasurer.