The sun has finally got its hat on! Following a disastrously cold and wet Spring so I hope this finds you all as well as can be expected. For those of you who have not had a good beginning to 2024 you have my sympathy.
In my previous Newsletter, I wrote about a year of politicking ahead and this has come to fruition with a bang. The local elections, mayoral elections and in a couple of cases, for MPs took place at the beginning of May and, on the face of it, was for the Conservatives a bit of a disaster.
So now, we wait with bated breath the date of the next General Election.
Romy Neeves – Editor
Chair Report: Following the retirement of Don Makepeace as Vice-Chair of the CSPA after the 2023 National Annual General Meeting, in a ballot across all groups carried out in this last quarter, Roisin Lilley of the CSPA Northern Ireland Branch was elected to replace him. She collected 12,078 votes and so defeated the only other candidate Les Calder of the East Devon Group, who received 7,371 votes. We wish her every success in her new position on the CSPA Executive.
Since our Group AGM in March and following upon the updating of the CSPA national membership database, we have been assigned members from the former
Buckinghamshire Group who live in south Buckinghamshire. May I welcome you all to the Bedford and District Group., and I hope we are able to represent you effectively from now onwards. You may already have received the group newsletter of March, and as is my normal practice, for those who have given their email addresses to HQ, I shall forward CSPA group circulars and other information as it is received. If you do not wish to receive it, please let me know. Contact details at the end of this Newsletter. As you will doubtless have noticed in the media over the past few weeks, speculation upon when the next General Election will be held is rife, with this coming autumn being considered as the most likely timing. However, one can never rule out a snap election should the present government consider it favourable, nor that it may hang on until the last moment which will mean January 2025. Since the 2019 general election, constituency boundaries have been redrawn, and so you may find you are no longer in the same constituency as you were for that one. In my role as Membership Secretary, I have updated our local membership records to take account of this. The changes have been especially significant for our members living in Milton Keynes. If you have a query in this respect, please contact me and I can provide you with the information. As above, details are at the end of the Newsletter. We shall receive suitable information from the CSPA Executive about issues to put to prospective candidates who may “doorstep” us, or to put to them at hustings. As in the past few elections I hope I shall be able to let those of our members who have email know who their prospective candidates are in good time.
After the soggy spring in March and April, the warm sunshine of the first week of May has been very welcome and pleasant, so let us hope for more of it over the coming summer months, and I wish you well.
To vote or not to vote – the story of a poll clerk.
I do not consider myself a political individual, I usually vote for the person not the party, but I do like a good election. So, for many years now I have taken part in elections as a poll clerk. This is the humbler roll of the two posts, the other being that of the presiding officer. The top job requires collecting all the paperwork involved from the Borough Hall the night before the election and reconciling the paperwork and then hot-footing it back to the HQ just as soon as can be achieved following close-down at 10pm. For this, the fee is about a third more than the poll clerk’s roll, but with a huge amount more responsibility.
I usually get allocated a village, not sure why, but its generally a lot quieter than a town posting which can be quite tricky in certain circumstances. However, the variety of the paperwork remains the same.
I did read that voters in Cambridge used the back of a car as a polling station as staff had problems for an hour getting into the library buildings they had planned to use.
My village, which shall remain nameless, official secrets act and all, had 122 residents. Thirty-five of them came in to vote, plus about 20 of them who chose to vote by post.
So, for a polling station that opened at 7 o’clock in the morning and closed at 10 in the evening, you can imagine, we weren’t rushed off our feet. However, to open at 7, you must be at your allocated venue by 6.15 to set up the hall with all the posters, of which there are many, and these are checked by a roving inspector to see that you have complied with the Electoral Commission’s instructions. Our inspector called early because he hadn’t had a signal from us to say we were open. It turned out that this village had very limited Wi-Fi! A man popped his head round the door at 6.40 to see whether we were open, I’m not sure he came back later. Our first actual voter rocked up at about 9.20. The police also visit to see that we are ok. All visitors must be documented. Several people brought their dogs with them, obviously killing two birds, dog walk and vote. One couple brought their young daughter to show her the ropes for the future.
Everyone brought in their ID documents and not one complained about this relatively new rule and a rule that irritated quite a few people last time.
We start to weed all the signage at around 9 o’clock. We figure if we have not had tellers all day, they won’t want to read their instructions now. There are approximately 25 different forms to reconcile before we can leave, and they all go in different coloured sacks and that’s why I won’t volunteer to be a PO!
It’s a very long day, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I had never met my presiding officer before, but we finished the day as good friends, and have booked each other’s company for the General Election, whenever that is.
2024 pension increase
I found this information in Pension News, issued to pensioner members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme but perhaps not read by everyone, Triple Lock news taking the headlines. The item is headed “Why have I not received the full 6.7% increase?”
There are a few reasons why you may not have received the full increase.
Ø Your tax code may have changed. You can check your tax code on your payslip. If you think it’s incorrect, contact HM Revenue and Customs directly on 030 200 3300.
Ø Pay dates – Your pension is paid in arrears. Depending on when your pay date is in the month, you may not see the full increase until next month.
Ø Not all members are eligible for the full 6.7% increase – if you reached state pension age before 6th April 2016 and you were working in the Civil Service prior to April 1997, part of your pension is paid within your state pension. Therefore, if you didn’t receive the full 6.7% in your occupational pension, you will have received an increase in your state pension.
“I’ve received this year’s Pension Increase, but my monthly pension has decreased. Why is this?
This may be due to a change in your tax code. You can check your tax code by logging into the Pension Portal by looking at your payslip or by logging on to your HM Revenue and Customs account.
If it has changed, you will need to contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) directly. And good luck with that!
There’s also lots of articles in the national newspapers about the perceived inequalities of the old and new state pensions.
Digital exclusion
Almost the whole of the latest issue of the NPC (National Pensioners’ Convention) newsletter “Connections for all” is given over to outlining the way that digital technology is putting older people at risk of social exclusion. This is a topic we have covered a few times recently, so I won’t elaborate.
Health
Climbing stairs instead of using the lift is associated with better heart health and longer life, according to a new study. Regularly taking the stairs has been linked to a 24 per cent reduced risk of dying of any cause and a 39 per cent lower likelihood of dying from heart disease.
The findings, presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s conference in Athens, indicate that even short bursts of activity could cut the risk of premature death.
Physical inactivity is associated with one in six deaths in the UK according to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week to cut the risk of heart disease and early death.
For the study, the team looked at data from nine studies involving more than 480,000 people aged between 35 and 84 years.
What you should keep and what you can shred
Sorting paperwork can be a hassle, and as we are into a new tax year, now is a good time to sort through old paperwork to see whether you can clear some space.
Keep – a physical copy of your will and power of attorney should be kept forever. Wills can be lodged with solicitors, but the executor should know where it is.
Pensions paperwork – many of us will have exchanged jobs several times throughout our working lives so it is easy to lose track.
HMRC paperwork. If you are employed and your employer pays tax on your behalf before it reaches your bank account, HMRC typically only requires you to keep the data for 22 months after the relevant period. However, one tax expert recommends that you keep records for four years.
Warranties – for white goods, washing machines, dishwashers etc., the consumer group Which recommends keeping some form of proof of purchase for six years and holding on to warranty documents for the life of the warranty.
Building work – if you have spent money renovating your home, make sure you get the appropriate certificates. If you decide to sell at some point in the future, the buyer’s solicitor will ask to see evidence that the work meets the required regulations. For smaller jobs, doors, windows etc., your guarantee is linked to your Fensa certificate, proof that the work complies with building regulations.
Boiler service documents also should be kept, as not servicing your boiler can invalidate your home insurance, which might cause problems if you need to make a claim. This also applies to chimney sweeping.
Documents you can ditch – ATM receipts.
Bank statements – these can all be found on your online account, going back up to seven years in some cases. But the length of time depends on your bank. If you think you might need copies in the future, download your statement each month and file it electronically elsewhere. Sales receipts – if you’ve worn an item, or there is another reason you can’t return it, throw away the receipt. You can throw away a receipt after 30 days as it is unlikely that a retailer will exchange or refund after this date. Unless of course the item is faulty,
Restaurant/food receipts – because you’ve already consumed the food, unless of course that you are keeping it to claim expenses.
However, I found recently that it is well worth keeping the ticket you get issued in car parks. I received a fine for non-payment in the Euro Car Park in the Broadway in Bedford. Luckily, I had kept the ticket (not sure if it was luck, I just had not cleaned the car) so was able to provide evidence that I had paid. Even so, it was extremely difficult to understand what the next move was, as appeals, complaints and transfer of liability may only be submitted online, in writing and must be received within 28 days. The Independent Appeals Service will not accept an appeal if you have not appealed to the company (Euro car parks) in the first instance.
It also pays to check your ticket before you leave the car. We actually entered the car park at 12.25 but their ticket showed us as entering at 10.22. They sent us a picture of the car entering the car park 2 hours before we had arrived.
So, BEWARE !
Romy Neeves – Editor
Chair: John Abington, 4 Duckmill Crescent, MK42 0AE. Tel 01234 403472 Johnabington1582@aholt171gmail-comTreasurer: Sue Walsh, The Old Rectory, Houghton Conquest MK45 3LD SueWalsh44@me.com
Secretary and Editor: Romy Neeves, 31 Turner Way, Bedford MK41 7ND
Committee:
Janet Jefferies, 6 Tamar Road, Bedford MK41 7EE. Janetm.jefferies@virginmedia
Chris L Williams, 10 Rhuddlan Close, Shenley Church End, Milton Keynes MK5 6EL mail@chrisw9.plus.com
Sidney Miller,33a Bushmead Avenue, Bedford MK40 3QH sjmiller@tiscali.co.uk
Steve Lewis, 49, Letchworth Road, Luton LU3 2NU Steveandrea1066@yahoo.co.uk
Irene Ward, 56, Biggleswade Road, Upper Caldecote, Biggleswade SG18 9BN wardirene603@gmail.com
