February 2024Dear Member
Belatedly, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. This is helped by the fact that the Triplelock has been retained and we will be receiving an 8.5% rise in the State Pension and although not part of the Triple Lock the Civil Service Pension will rise by 6.7% in line with the CPI. These increases will start on 8 April 2024.
I am grateful to the Committee for their continued support and also of our local members. We have 702 members of the Gloucestershire Group of which I have 110 email addresses and most of those members will receive Newsletters by email but that still leaves 592 for whom we have no email address. This means that the only method of direct communication is by post, hence this printed Newsletter. Once again I appeal to you for an email address so that we can communicate with you faster and at no additional cost. Your email address is not passed on to anyone else and used only to communicate with you.
The Gloucestershire Group is part of the Midlands Region of the CPSA and for some time have had no Regional Representative. I am happy to report that Kevin Billson from the Leicester and Rutland group has been formally elected to that post. We congratulate him on the appointment and look forward to meeting at our AGM on 7 March.
At our quarterly meetings we get on average 26 members coming along. I appreciate that many pensioners are not always able to travel to Cheltenham where our meetings take place but it would be good to see more local members attending. There is no charge to be a local member, we abandoned a local subscription and now rely on donations. The hall is very warm and comfortable
and there is plenty of car parking and level access so why not come along to our next meeting and enjoy refreshments, meeting other members and hearing what is happening.
Our meetings last year included a very useful talk on Powers of Attorney and how important it is to apply for one well in advance. It can take over 6 months to get one.
The Chair and Maureen Smith both attended the AGM in Kenilworth and found it very worthwhile. Our 2 motions on the Triplelock and the absurdity of the 25p a week addition at age 80 were passed. There was some lively debate about database problems which our group and others had experienced. We were able to meet the people who were managing it and they now understand our problems which were basically not being notified of any new members. If any new members are reading this and have not been contacted by us please get in touch and we will welcome you, albeit belatedly.
There was considerable discussion on the future of the CSPA whether it should have a Regional or a Group structure or a compromise. A working party has been set up to report on this and we have already submitted our views advocating the retention of Groups as long as they can be run, but volunteers are needed for this. There is concern that 52% of national membership is not allocated to a group and therefore have no way of expressing their views to the AGM. But for those in a Group for them to express their views they need to attend a Group meeting or write to the Secretary of the Group. In the Gloucestershire Group we have an average attendance of 26 which leaves 672 members who have not expressed their views. This means the views expressed by the Gloucestershire Group are those of the few who attend meetings plus those of the Committee, hardly representative.
We ended the year with a performance by a very merry Cheltenham Ukulele Group. Our next meeting is the AGM on 7 March when the General Secretary Sally Tsoukaris will be the speaker. We shall also have Kevin Billson our new Regional Representative. Even though the present committee are happy to stand again, we would welcome new blood. If you or someone you know is interested please let me know before the AGM.
The Winter Edition of the Pensioner Magazine has been issued and contains information on action taken on the various Campaigns CSPA is active with. Some of the Campaigns are:
Social Care It is now over 11 years since the Dilnot Report was issued and accepted by all political parties but has yet to be implemented, resulting in
people having to sell their homes to pay for care. We really need a National Social Care Service linked into the NHS.
State Pension increases continue to be linked to the Triplelock which has been attacked as unsustainable but pressure has still to be kept up to retain it for the future. CSPA also tackled Pensioner Cost of Living payments and you should have received a payment of £150 or £300 by now.
Housing is drastically short and not just for the elderly. More appropriate stock should be built and on brown field sites not on the Green Belt around Cheltenham and Gloucester. Bishops Cleeve will soon be linked to Cheltenham and Twigworth is gradually creeping closer to Gloucester in one direction and Coombe Hill in the other, not to mention the spread which will creep towards the M5 at Junction 10.
Transport we still have our bus passes which make bus travel so much easier but rail fares have just gone up again and are becoming even more unaffordable. To encourage more rail travel, fares must be affordable and more seats available particularly on the morning trains to Birmingham from Gloucester and Cheltenham. CSPA campaigned successfully to stop the closure of ticket offices.
Digital Exclusion This is a really difficult one and we have to accept that the internet is here to stay and we should try to encompass it. It really does make life easier. I renewed my passport on line and it took 4 days. The Passport Agency website, like the HMRC website, is in large clear contrasting print with simple instructions to follow and if you got confused it gently corrected you. Not all websites are like that but if they were, people would be more inclined to use them. If possible ask your children or grandchildren for help in using the internet, if not rushed, you will be very pleasantly surprised as it does open up a whole new world of information on absolutely everything.
I appreciate that there will be cases where it is impossible for someone to access the internet and for those there should be an alternative, telephone or by post. CSPA will continue to campaign on Digital Exclusion.
Commissioner for Older People and Ageing At the CSPA AGM in October 23, a presentation was made by Independent Age for such a post to be created. It would be for a champion to amplify what older people want and need, be independent of government and a symbol that older people are seen and are a serious part of our society.
McCloud Remedy Much progress has been made on this problem and as the title implies a solution found. This affects only those Civil Servants who retired between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022.
Data Protection and Digital Information Bill contains a worrying clause which will permit the Dept of Work and Pensions the right to access social security claimants’ finances including those receiving child benefit and a State pension. CSPA is working with others to see if this clause can be removed.
There is much more information on all these topics in the Pensioner Magazine which you all should have received and of course on the CSPA website www.cspa.co.uk
These are some of the campaigns CSPA is tackling together with LLA (Later Life Ambitions) and AgeUK. They have in fact published a Manifesto “ Standing By Pensioners” 2024 Election Tool Kit. If there is an issue that concerns you please get in touch with myself or HQ to see what help can be offered.
Forthcoming Meetings
All meetings are held at the Civil Service Sports Club, Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham, GL51 9SL at 10.00 for 10.30.
Thursday 7 March AGM Sally Tsoukaris General Secretary CSPA
Thursday 6 June AgeUK Amey Harris What help AgeUK can provide.
Thursday 5 September Dr Ian Donald, retired consultant in Geriatrics and Frailty Medicine talking about Ageing and Frailty
Thursday 5 December Peter Berry “My wife came too” railway photos in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and New Mexico. It is also planned to have an outing on the Sharpness Canal in the summer; plans are still being made.
Alastair Goldie Chair 01452 417846 0779 6341104 cspaglos@gmail.com
Ken Lovett Treasurer 01285 831748
Dorothy Bunting Membership Secretary memseccspaglos@gmail.com
Maureen Smith Minutes Secretary
DON’T FORGET OUR AGM IS ON THURSDAY 7 MARCH
