Dear Member
The next quarterly meeting of the Cambridge & District group, which is also the AGM, will be held on Tuesday 12 March, at 2 pm, in the Gray Room at St. John’s Church, Hills Road, Cambridge. There will be coffee/tea and biscuits after the meeting. We hope you will be able to attend.
AGENDA
1. Apologies for absence
2. There are no minutes from the December meeting, as it was not quorate and no decisions could be taken.
3. Reports:
(a) Chair
(b) Treasurer (to include report on group accounts for 2023)
(c) Secretary
4. To consider whether we wish to make a nomination for the post of CSPA Vice Chair.
5. Election of group officers for 2024/25: (a) Chair; (b) Treasurer; (c) Secretary.
6. Election of committee members
7. Appointment of Accounts Examiner
8. Any other business
9. Date and format (in person or online) of next meeting
Yours sincerely
Sue Davies
Secretary, Cambridge & District Group
NEWSLETTER – FEBRUARY 2024
Notes from the Committee
The March meeting is our AGM, when we elect our officers and committee for the next year. It’s important hat you come along if you possibly can. Our December meeting was attended by just four people. Yes, that’s four people out of a membership of more than 400. As you will be aware, many local CSPA groups have folded through lack of support. If we cannot have more people actively involved in Cambridge group, there seems little point in our carrying on. We can’t make life more interesting for you by organising social events, or inviting speakers to meetings, unless we can count on a reasonable level of support. So, if you want the group to continue – and numbers of people have said they value having a local group, and getting quarterly newsletters – do attend on 12 March, tell us what you want the group to do, and perhaps even consider standing for election to an officer or committee position.
One thing that is vital to maintaining a viable local structure is recruiting new members to the CSPA. If you’re in touch with former work colleagues, why not ask them whether they’re CSPA members and, if they aren’t, suggest they might want to join (they can do this on the CSPA website). Word of mouth is certainly the most effective form of advertising, but do we need to do more? Bedford and Clacton groups are having fliers printed (artwork supplied by head office) advertising the Alliance. Do we want to do the same? If so, do you have entry to any venue that retired civil servants might frequent, and which would allow us the leave or distribute a small number of flyers (over-60s clubs, sports clubs, U3A groups etc.)? If you do, or if you have any other suggestions as to how we might recruit new members, please get in touch with any of the officers.
The AGM is also the time when the group’s accounts for the previous financial year are presented. The headline figures are: our income for the year ended 31 December 2023 amounted to £277. Our outgoings were just over £607 and included expenses associated with sending a representative to the NPC Annual Convention, room hire, Christmas lunch subsidy, refreshment at meetings and travel expenses for committee members. We ended the year with a balance of just over £1,095.
A recent change is that CSPA HQ is now providing group secretaries with contact details and contact preferences for the members of this group, the list being updated every three months. This makes it easier for your Secretary to deal with any queries, and to communicate with members. Group newsletters will now go out by email to everyone who has indicated that they are willing to be contacted by email, and provided an email address. If you have indicated that you want to receive mailings, you should also get a copy through the post. If any of your details (address, phone number, email address) change, or you wish to change your contact preferences, please contact the group Secretary, or contact HQ directly either by emailing enquiries@cspa.co.uk or by using the contact form on the CSPA website.
GROUP CONTACTS
Chair Susan Hennah-Barham
17 Four Acres, Fenstanton, Cambs, PE28 9QF 07722 523485 sennaseven@gmail.com
Secretary Sue Davies
60 The Butts, Soham, Ely, Cambs CB7 5AW 01353 624579 sue.davies@folly.org.uk
Treasurer Patrick King
12 Chapel Street, Exning, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7HA 01638 578344 patandjenking@btinternet.com
News Roundup
“Stop the snooping”
Many people are unaware that the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, currently going through its committee stage in the Lords, contains a clause that would allow the Department of Work and Pensions to access the bank accounts of those claiming benefits. This includes the state pension, as well as other benefits such as pension credit. Up to 22 million people could be affected.
The Government maintains the powers will reduce fraud and error, but only when questioned by Sir Stephen Timms MP, chair of the Parliamentary Works and Pensions Committee, in the Commons was it admitted that the clause would apply to state pensions. The Minister could not give an example of when it might be used.
There is considerable cross-party concern about the clause, including fears that it might be later used to means-test pensions. Sir Stephen said: “The proposal in this Bill is for surveillance where there is absolutely no suspicion at all, which is a substantial expansion of the state’s powers to intrude.”
The CSPA is working with Later Life Ambitions (LLA) and Connect to produce a briefing for Peers, including a proposed amendment to the Bill, as well as to engage with Labour front benchers and other Peers to build up a coalition of support on the issue. LLA plans to release a press statement, and to engage with other supportive organisations to challenge the clause. In the meantime, Prospect union has started a petition focusing on pensioner’s interests and urging Parliament to drop the clause. The petition has already gained the 10,000 signatures making it compulsory for the Government to reply. Please sign the petition, which can be accessed from https://www.cspa.co.uk/news/stop-the-snooping/, and if possible, share it on social media.
The hidden two million
Independent Age (IA) has published a new research report, “The Hidden Two Million,” shining the spotlight on an estimated two million older people who are living below the poverty line, with many more hovering just above it – giving the lie to the common perception that all the “boomer” generation are enjoying gold-plated pensions and
mortgage-free homes. The report can be accessed at https://www.independentage.org/hidden-two-million. There is also a short film, presenting the real-life stories of older people living in poverty.
One of the things that IA is calling for is for the Department of Work and Pensions to publish a five-year strategic plan to increase the uptake of Pension Credit. Despite increased activity by the DWP to raise awareness, up to a third of eligible pensioners are still missing out, and in the last 10 years, £28 billion has failed to reach those entitled to it.
If you are struggling financially, don’t forget that IA has a free Moneywise guide, with advice on how to cut bills and claim any benefits to which you are entitled.
Institute for Fiscal Studies pensions review
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has recently published its first report as part of its ongoing review of pensions. The report, on “The Future of the State Pension”, can be accessed at https://ifs.org.uk/publications/future-state-pension, and is well worth looking at, particularly in relation to its views on the triple lock.
The report concludes that the triple lock formula creates widespread uncertainty both for individuals and governments about the future level of the state pension. Compared with increasing the pension in line with average earnings, it estimates that the triple lock will cost anything between £5 billion and £40 billion a year (at today’s prices) by 2050.
It recommends a four-point guarantee in relation to the state pension: there will a target level for the pension, expressed as a share of median full-time earnings; both before and after the target is reached, the pension will increase annually in line with inflation; the state pension will not be means-tested; and the state pension age will only increase when longevity increases, and never by the full amount of the longevity increase.
Paying 2024/25 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.
