Building for the Future: News and views from Sally and the HQ Team
We await the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget Statement on the 30th October with some trepidation following her shock announcement on the 29th July of the removal of Winter Fuel Allowance payments from around 10 million pensioners. Whilst it is appreciated that there is a large hole to plug in the national finances, it is important that the right decisions are made, taking into account the wider impact of any changes and any unintended consequences, which may in the longer term cost us more than we have saved. CSPA has taken part in rallies and protests about the removal of universal Winter Fuel payments from Liverpool to London and Belfast.
At the International Investment Summit in London on Monday 14th October, Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted that she would not be reinstating Winter Fuel Allowances for those who don’t receive Pension Credit, saying that she had been pleased to see a marked increase in the numbers applying to receive the benefit since her July announcement. The Chancellor repeated the Government’s commitment to using the Triple Lock to increase the State Pension for the duration of this Parliament, stating that it has resulted in State Pensioner households being, on average, £900 better off this Winter than they were last year. Under the Triple Lock, State Pensions are due to rise by 4.1% from next April.
The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) announcement on Wednesday 16th October of September’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which has been set at 1.7%, may be disappointing news for Civil Service pensioners as this figure determines the increase they will get on their Civil Service pension payments from the 7th April 2025.
Whilst the lower inflation rate does reflect a significant drop in the cost of petrol and diesel in recent months, it is predicted to rise again in the coming months, and many will already be concerned by OfGem having said that average household energy bills are set to rise by 10% this Autumn.
We are recently returned from our recent AGM event in Kenilworth, held on the 9th and 10th of October, where we enjoyed the company of CSPA delegates from Groups and Branches around the UK, as well as hosting our special guests and speakers. As always, it was a lively and engaging few days, and we are grateful to the CSPA Group and Branch representatives who submitted and spoke to the motions, as those that were carried will direct our campaigning priorities for the next year. A comprehensive record of the 2024 AGM will be included as a supplement within the next issue of The Pensioner magazine.
We are pleased to welcome Les Priestley, who was elected as CSPA’s new Chair, whilst extending our heartfelt thanks to Linda Ridgers-Waite who has served so ably as our outgoing Chair, and formerly Vice Chair, in recent years. We are happy to see Linda staying on the EC in one of the national posts, and to have Mike Buckley and Pamela Flynn newly elected. Of course, we remain grateful for the continued efforts of those EC officers who were re-elected, and to others who have recently stood down. CSPA’s Wessex Region has a newly elected representative in John Clarke, and I am sure members in that part of the country will be hearing from him soon.
We are thrilled to be offering another CSPA hosted webinars on the 2015 Remedy, commonly referred to as McCloud, on the 29th of October, from 1pm. The panel will be chaired by CSPA Vice Chair Roisin Lilley, and include CSPA Pensions & Personal Case Manager, Chris Haswell, and our esteemed colleagues Stella Humphreys and Kevin Hughes from the Cabinet Office. The session should prove helpful for those affected, who will in the main have retired between April 2015 and March 2022.
You can register to attend this free event by clicking on the image below.
The new travel insurance scheme, offered through CSIS to CSPA members at competitive, fixed rates based on age categories on a ‘fit to travel’ basis, is proving to be popular with our members. Annual policies, renewable each July, can also now be purchased part-way through the year on a pro rata basis, so members taking out policies in between renewal dates will not have to pay the full amount. Do get in touch with CSIS directly for further information, either by calling them on 01622 766 960 or by clicking here.
We remain, as ever, focussed on our core aim of protecting what you`ve earned after a lifetime of work in the Civil Service. We wish you a very good Autumn and hope you will all be able to enjoy the run-up to the Festive Season!
Sally
Sally Tsoukaris, CSPA General Secretary
