NB: GC 945 was issued to Groups in Wales only, GC 946 and GC 948 were sent to Groups in the Midlands Region only, and GC 951 is being sent to Groups in Wessex only)
To: Branches, Groups and Executive Council January 2024
Dear Colleague
We hope this finds you well.
You will find herewith updates on the following, which we hope will be of interest to you. In response to feedback arising from the issue of GC 947/23, we will not be including electronic or printed copies of the campaign-related information referred to as attachments, but we will have included w eb links and web addresses, where appropriate. Paper copies of any of the materials referred to can be sent out to groups, on request, from CSPA Head Office.
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- Advance Notice of Annual General Meeting 2024
- Election to the Post of Midlands Regional Representative
- CSPA Vice Chair’s Update and Election to the Vice Chair Post on the EC (Please Note – Prompt Action Required)
- Regional Representative for Wessex
- Update on Representative for Groups in Wales Position
- National Treasurer’s Update on CSPA’s 2023 Financial Report
- Later Life Ambitions – General Election Toolkit
- Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
- Partner Updates
- Reminder to Advise HQ of your Group’s Postholder
Appendix – References and Resources
1. Advance Notice of the Annual General Meeting 2024
Groups are invited to note that the Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 9th October and Thursday 10th October 2024, at the Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2LD.
Groups and Branches will be invited to submit Motions for discussion at the 2024
AGM, and Nominations for the posts of Officers, members of the Executive Council, and members of the Standing Orders Committee later on in the year. Groups will wish to note that the deadline for receipt of Motions and Nominations will be Friday 5 th July 2024.
2. Election to the Post of Midlands Regional Representative
Groups and Members were advised at the AGM in October 2023 that the only nominee to the post of Midlands Regional Representative had withdrawn shortly before the event due to ill health. Accordingly, an exercise was conducted in November/December 2023 to seek nominations from Midlands Groups only to the vacancy. We are pleased to advise that Kevin Billson was nominated by two Groups and was subsequently elected. Groups in the Midlands were advised of the new postholder’s election in December 2023, under cover of Special GC 948, and we are pleased to welcome Kevin to the Executive Council as the new Midlands Regional Representative.
3. CSPA Vice Chair’s Update and Election to the Vice Chair Post on the EC
Don Makepeace has recently confirmed his decision to withdraw from the Executive Council and Vice Chair role on the grounds of continued ill health. We extend our thanks and appreciation to Don for all his work over the years on behalf of CSPA members, and we wish him everything of the best as he convalesces. The Executive Council has since agreed that procedures should commence to fill the vacancy at the earliest opportunity, and arrangements for nominations to the Vice Chair role are set out below.
Nomination papers (2 copies, included with this Group Circular), are being sent to all Groups and Branches. Completed nomination papers are to be received by CSPA HQ no later than 12 noon on Friday 23 February 2024.
NB: Groups and Branches are asked to check with their proposed nominees, to confirm that they are willing to stand for the position of the Executive Council Vice Chair, before returning their completed and signed nominations.
The enclosed form should be used to submit your Group’s Nomination and should be signed by both the Chair and Secretary of the Group or Branch in accordance with Rule 7(e) (iii) of the Rules & Constitution.
Due to ongoing problems with postal services, we will also accept scanned signed copies emailed to benedetta.makanju@cspa.co.uk
This circular seeks nominations from all Groups and Branches to fill the Vice Chair position in accordance with the following timetable –
- Friday, 26th January 2024 GC 950 election notice and nomination forms issued
- Friday, 23rd February 2024 Deadline for Groups and Branches to return nominations
- Friday, 8th March 2024 Ballot papers dispatched if the post is contested
- Friday, 12th April 2024 Deadline for the return of ballot papers
- Week commencing Monday, 15th April 2024 Groups and Branches notified of the election results
Please click to download the Nomination Form for your Group/Branch to complete and return, no later than Friday, 23rd February 2024.
4. Regional Representative for Wessex
Groups and Members will wish to be aware that due to the sad loss of our colleague, Tony Hall, late last year, an exercise is also being conducted to seek nominations from Groups in Wessex only to have a successor in place by the next meeting of the EC in April. Should more than one nomination be received, a ballot will be conducted for the post, and all Groups in England and Wales will be asked to vote for their favoured candidate.
Special Group Circular 951 is being issued alongside this circular to Groups in the Wessex Region only to call for nominations to their Regional Representative post on the Executive Council.
5. Update on the Representative for Groups in Wales Position
As no member was nominated or elected to this post at the AGM last October, we once again appealed for nominations to the vacant post of Representative for Groups in Wales under cover of Special Group Circular 945 in November 2023, but no nominations were forthcoming. There is currently only one active Local Group running in Wales, so we do not propose to commence another election process at this stage. The Executive Council and officers from HQ will be liaising with members of the North Wales Group’s committee to provide them with any support as needed
between now and the next AGM, and offering members in Wales not part of the North Wales Group access to their contact details should they indicate a wish to find out about getting more actively involved in CSPA.
6. National Treasurer’s Update on CSPA’s 2023 Financial Report
The CSPA achieved a gross surplus of around £90,000 in 2023, according to early estimates. This is a vast improvement on the deficit in 2022, and better than expected in the budget for the year January to December 2023. The final Statement of Accounts 2023 will be published with the Annual Report in the Summer issue of The Pensioner.
7. Later Life Ambitions – General Election Toolkit
There has never been a better time to lobby your MP about the campaigns you feel most strongly about, and we will certainly be doing all that we can to raise our CSPA priorities at every turn.
CSPA members are encouraged to access advice and templates designed to help them do this in our LLA General Election 2024 Toolkit via the Later Life Ambitions website (www.laterlifeambitions.co.uk ) or we can provide them with paper copies from HQ upon request.
8. Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
Members may recall our website article before Christmas (December 11, 2023) about the worrying clause in the new ‘Data Protection and Digital Information Bill’ which would give the Department of Work and Pensions the right to access social security claimants’ finances, including those receiving child benefit and a State Pension. You can view our article here – MP criticises Government proposals to allow inspection of Pensioners’ bank accounts – CSPA
This will affect up to 22 million people, and many are unaware it is happening. The Bill is currently at the House of Lords Committee Stage. There is significant cross party concern about the measures to access pensioners’ bank accounts and the issue will be seriously challenged and scrutinised by the Lords, possibly with a view to removing the additional clause entirely or building in regulations to control the use of the data concerned.
The Government claim they don’t want to utilise this power now, but to have the power at their disposal for the future as they update twenty-year-old legislation. The opposition contend that the legislation is unnecessary at best, and that it opens the door to several issues, including potentially the means testing of State Pensions.
CSPA are working with the LLA partners and Connect to issue a two page Bill briefing for Peers, including a suggested amendment to the Bill that they might propose and champion. We will also, with the help of our advisors Connect, continue to engage with Labour front benchers and others including crossbench, Green and Liberal Democrat Peers to build a coalition of support and offer LLA expertise and views to their Bill work.
When the dates of the Committee are announced, Later Life Ambitions plans to release a press statement and engage other supportive organisations to challenge the Bill externally. We will shortly be meeting with Sir Stephen Timms MP to support his committee scrutiny and media work, and we plan to write to the Secretary of State to make our concerns known.
Prospect union has started a petition focusing on pensioners’ interests in the campaign against the proposed legislation – please sign it and share it with your networks accordingly.
9. Partner Updates
i) Age UK
The Age UK Campaigns team are doing all they can to make sure the next
Government does all it can to improve the lives of older people after the imminent
General Election. A couple of months ago, they carried out a survey to establish
what was most important to older people, finding that:
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- 85% said being able to afford to heat their homes and pay their bills,
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- 82% said having a safe and decent home in a good state of repair,
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- 74% said receiving healthcare close to home,
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- 51% said feeling like they are a respected part of their community,
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- 51% said being able to undertake tasks such as paying bills or booking GP
appointments without needing to use the internet,
- 51% said being able to undertake tasks such as paying bills or booking GP
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- and 31% said receiving care at home to keep living independently for
longer.
- and 31% said receiving care at home to keep living independently for
It is important that all political parties listen to what older people want and that
the next Government delivers on these issues.~
ii) Charity for Civil Servants
As a retired civil servant, the Charity for Civil Servants is there to help you stay strong, whatever life brings. They’ve been there for civil servants for generations, providing an umbrella of support when it’s needed.
If you’d like to share resources from the Charity at your Group or Branch meetings or AGM, please do request them by emailing annette.hooper@cfcs.org.uk, stating quantities, and she’ll arrange to send them to you. Resources include the Charity’s leaflet outlining their help and support, details of their Community Lottery and the usual pen!
You can also sign up to receive regular updates about the Charity’s help and support and, if you know any of your members who could benefit from hearing about the Charity for Civil Servants, please let them know. You can find out more about their forthcoming activities including online
introductory talks about their work, “Don’t Tone Alone” courses (6 weeks – on Nutrition and Weight Management or Mental Wellbeing), how to register for a charity tandem skydive in February, and their Mega Miles Challenge in May.
iii) Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
The CSRF are looking for an Honorary National Chair to join them on a voluntary basis for 6-8 days a year. The closing date is the 31/01/2024, and a full job description detailing all responsibilities and requirements, plus details on how to apply can be viewed here.
iv) Independent Age
Our fellow-campaigners at Independent Age are campaigning for the appointment of Commissioners for Older People and Ageing in Scotland and in England, a cause we at CSPA share. We have seen impressive, recent examples of how successful this form of cross-governmental working can be in both Wales and Northern
The General Secretary recently met with Independent Age’s Chief Executive, Joanna Elson CBE, who provided evidence on the subject of The Rights of Older People to the Women and Equalities Committee on the 10th January 2024. The question of the potential benefits of Commissioners – amongst other things – was addressed in the evidence submitted. Others giving evidence to the WEC on the day were Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director for Age UK, Carole Easton OBE, Chief Executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, and Helena Herklots CBE, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales. You can find out more about the WEC Inquiry at The rights of older people – Committees – UK Parliament.
Independent Age have a petition calling for Commissioner posts to be established for England and Scotland, which they have asked us to share with CSPA members. You are encouraged to find out more about the petition and sign it here or, alternatively, you can request a paper copy for your use locally by emailing campaigns@independentage.org or calling 020 7605 4200.
Reminder to Advise HQ of your Group’s Postholders
Groups are gently reminded to update CSPA Head Office about their Group Committee Postholders after their AGMs have been held, to ensure that our central records remain accurate. We also need confirmation of the name of the person designated to receive posted copies of circulars, and the numbers of copies they will need.
We can add any current group committee members to our electronic circulation lists for group circulars, or alternatively remove the names of people who no longer wish to receive these communications, upon request.
If you have any questions or require any further information about the matters covered by this Group Circular, please don’t hesitate to contact me, either by email at sally.tsoukaris@cspa.co.uk or by telephone on 020 8688 8418 (Office)/07827 291 073 (Mobile).
May we take this opportunity to offer our warmest regards this Festive Season, and to wish you good health, much happiness and vibrant campaigning on behalf of pensioners in the coming New Year!
Yours sincerely
Sally
Appendix – References and Resources
In the News Recently
Government funding gaps for local services are increasingly being highlighted in the mainstream media and these often impact services relied upon by older people, in particular. There has also been an increase in focus on those in poverty, including pensioners in privately rented accommodation.
You may wish to refer the following news articles and research-based reports;
i) More than 40 Tory MPs call for extra council funding – BBC News (BBC News, 22/01/2024)
ii) In an article entitled “High rents force older tenants to move to deprived seaside towns”, The Times reported on high rental prices forcing older tenants to move away from friends and family and face over-stretched public services in more affordable areas. Independent Age, a charity supporting pensioners in hardship, has compared data from 250 English local authorities in the censuses of 2011 and 2021, and discovered widespread migration over the decade of those in privately rented accommodation aged 65 and over. Of the 20 areas with the largest increase in older
private renters, ten are coastal areas that are among the poorest local authorities in the country. Overall, Blackpool has the highest percentage of renting pensioners in England, with 14 per cent of all older people living in the private rented sector. The areas with the most rapid decrease in older renters are the most expensive, dominated by London boroughs. This exodus is due to years of rising rental prices in these areas, making them ever-more unaffordable, combined with an exodus of llandlords who are facing higher taxes themselves. (The Times / www.thetimes.co.uk , 21/01/2024)
iii) Our colleagues at Independent Age shared their new policy briefing with us as it was published on the 22/01/2024: No place for older renters . Morgan Vine, IA’s Head of Policy and Influencing, told us that “Faced with non-decent homes and worse access to services and transport, we’ve found that inequality in later life is growing which can lead to loneliness and poorer health. Older renters are almost three times more likely to be in poverty than homeowners without a mortgage.”
iv) Millions of people in UK would need to double their income to escape poverty, new report warns | UK News | Sky News (Sky News, 23/01/2024)
v) The Times reports that the Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), Richard Hughes has suggested that the Chancellor’s spending plans from next year onwards are unrealistic, saying that Ministers are not being honest on the probable scale of public sector cuts. Speaking to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, Hughes noted that the OBR had received just two numbers beyond 2025, “one for total current spending and one for total capital spending”. He warned that the Government would have to “fundamentally rethink” how they deal with challenges like supporting an ageing population or else risk “unsustainable debt.” (The Times / www.thetimes.co.uk , 24/01/2024)
vi) IFS Pensions Review new report: the IFS released the first report for their big pensions review: The future of the state pension | Institute for Fiscal Studies (ifs.org.uk)
vii) Social care info and advice: Independent Age undertook a project at the end of 2022 and their understanding is that Local Government Association have now set up a workstream to look at it: Navigating the system: Experiences of accessing adult social care information and advice for people in later life | Independent Age
viii) The following Independent Age reports might also be of interest:
‘A constant struggle’ – our report on household costs – (independentage.org)
Report on why England needs a Commissioner for Older People | Independent Age
