Welcome to our Spring Newsletter in which we bring you up to date on local and national CSPA matters.
Our AGM in March was successfully held with 31 people attending which was very encouraging. Our Guest Speaker was Sally Tsoukaris the General Secretary. We did not know at the time that it was her first to a Group so we are honoured by that. I know she was made very welcome by the Group and hope that she enjoyed the experience. She brought us up to date on activities at HQ which were centered on the structure of CSPA discussing a Group structure or a regional structure. The Gloucestershire Group submitted its views advocating a Group structure but at the same time are all too well aware that volunteers are required for this. The results of the consultation should be published in the summer edition of the Pensioner magazine.
Much thought has been given to recruitment and retention and our Group has been fortunate in being able to attend leavers events at GCHQ with a view to recruiting younger members as they retire. We are also considering a similar arrangement with the Land Registry in Gloucester in due course. Again, HQ will be issuing information on recruitment soon.
Also at our AGM we had the pleasure of Kevin Billson our new Regional Representative. He was formerly with the Prison Service. We look forward to meeting him again.
Indeed Kevin has arranged a Regional Meeting in Birmingham on 6 June. If anyone would like to attend, travelling by train, please let me know. Also if you have any issues you would like raised, again please let me know. The focus of the meeting will be on Recruitment and keeping current groups going and reviving closed groups. Again any views will be welcome.
I should have course mentioned that the present Committee was unanimously re-elected but there are still 2 committee vacancies which we would like to fill.
As mentioned at the AGM a cruise on the Queen Boadicea II has been arranged for Friday 17 May at 1.15 for 1.30 departure from Gloucester Quays, enter through the Waterways Museum. The price is £16 and includes a cream tea or cake tea. Visitors are welcome at a cost of £17. There are only a few places left.
If you wish to come please send your name, telephone number and email address to Mrs D Bunting memseccspaglos@gmail.com and transfer the money by BACS if you do online banking, to Lloyds Bank CSPA Gloucestershire Group sort code 30 91 87 account No 01178285 and reference your surname. If you have any dietary requirements please let Dorothy know and if you prefer a cream tea or a cake tea and tell her that you are paying by BACS. Please copy your email to our Treasurer, Ken Lovett at lovett339@btinternet.com
If you wish to pay by cheque then send a cheque payable to CSPA Gloucestershire Group to Mrs D Bunting, 10 Redgrove Road Cheltenham GL51 0AU.
The problems we have had with notification of new members and leavers seems to have been resolved and our membership is now 674 down from 702 with many departures but 34 new members. We now have 251 email addresses for communications. 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
On the Executive Council there is a vacancy for a Vice Chair and at our AGM it was agreed that we would nominate Les Calder of the East Devon Group and currently on the EC for this post. It transpired that there was also another candidate also an EC member so there has had to be a ballot. We await the result as the other candidate was elected to one of the places reserved for a woman.
We are now into the new Tax year and whilst we are beneficiaries of the rise in state (8.5%) and civil service pensions (6.7%) many with occupational pensions will find that they will be paying more income tax because of there being no adjustment to the tax threshold. HQ is very much aware of this and will work with partners on this “give with one hand and take away with the other” unfairness.
Also for those on the new state pension, their increase is higher than those on the old state pension. We will conduct more research on this and possibly raise it as a motion for the National AGM.
2024 is most likely to be an election year so when you are canvassed or indeed you may wish to raise older people’s issues with candidates you might like to consider such aspects as social care, NHS shortages and difficulty in obtaining a GP consultation to mention but a few. Politicians are aware that pensioners do vote so your vote is important.
The Spring Edition of the Pensioner Magazine has been issued and contains information on action taken on the various Campaigns CSPA is working on such as: Social Care, State Pensions, Housing, Transport, Digital Exclusion, Commissioner for Older people, the McCloud Remedy and Data Protection
There is much more information on all these topics in the Spring Edition of 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.
Friday 17 May Canal Cruise followed by tea and cake
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.
Chair Secretary Alastair Goldie 0779 634 1104 cspaglos@gmail.com
Ken Lovett Treasurer 01285 831748
Membership Secretary Dorothy Bunting memseccspaglos@gmail.com Minutes Secretary Maureen Smith
Best wishes and hope to see you on the Cruise.
Alastair Goldie Chairman CSPA Gloucestershire
