Editors Notes
Welcome to any new members and all current members. Sorry for not having sent Newsletters for a while but at least you are updated by our ‘Pensioner’ magazine.
I have had to use a new format of Newsletter as I am getting used to a new computer with a new version of Microsoft Word.
Unfortunately, we have recently lost a valued and founder member of the Liverpool Group committee, Edith Roberts. We always relied on Edith’s extensive memory and knowledge dating back to our first meeting in 2008. We all attended her funeral on 5th February and are sorry to see such a valued member of our committee pass away.
I will get on with the more general matters of recent and future meetings.
Sue Munro, Editor
(email: munroofseaforth@blueyonder.co.uk)
Change of Address / Details
CSPA HQ print and circulate this newsletter for us, so if there are any address or membership changes, please contact CSPA Membership Enquiries by phone, email, or post.
Freepost RTRX-RKUY-SELT Tel: 020 8688 8418
Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance,  Email: enquiries@cspa.co.uk
Grosvenor House, 125 High Street,
Croydon, CR0 9XP.
Recent Events
Monday 4th March 2024 – Our Local AGM @11am
It was held at our new meeting place – the Geek Retreat, 70 Church St, LA1 3AY. This is near Curry’s.
Attendees: – Pauline McRorie, Mike Stanliewicz, Eamon Kehoe, Gillian Hill, Wendy & Ian Buckley, Ann Bolton, Harry Brett, and me (Sue M).
Apologies: – Carol Rimmer
Gill welcomed everyone and proceeded to nominations for our committee, which were:-
Chair – Gillian Hill Treasurer – Harry Brett Secretary – Sue Munro
Other Committee Members – Ann Bolton and Mike Stanliewicz
It was agreed that I would write the Newsletters and send them to Harry for forwarding to HQ.
The Treasurer reported that our Balance which was £125.65 and has been raised to £450 by HQ to allow our group to continue. We desperately need more funds, as I’m sure you are aware we (normally) do not receive any funds from HQ and are expected to raise them locally. I would therefore ask members to make a donation (suggested amount £5 per member), but of course this is entirely voluntary. Donations can either be sent to the Treasurer, Harry Brett at 46 Severn Way, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, CW4 8FT or direct to the Bank Account – CSPA Account at Lloyds Bank – Sort Code 30-99-50, Account number 16487962.
Monday 3rd June 2024 – Meeting @11am @ Geek Retreat
Attendees: – Harry Brett, Carole & Brian Rimmer, Ann Bolton, Pauline McRorie, Mike Stankievitz and me (Sue Munro)
Apologies: – Ken Roberts and Gillian Hill – who had broken her ankle – we all send her our best wishes.
Harry, acting as Chair in Gil’s absence, opened the meeting by handing out copies of the agenda and the Treasurer’s Report. He gave a report from the last meeting in which the officers and committee were elected, see above. He commented on some items from the Pensioner, which had just been issued. He particularly brought to the meeting’s attention that the CSIS had been able to negotiate a new insurance policy which requires that you are ‘fit to travel’ to qualify. The only exception is if you have a problem with asthma/COPD or other breathing problems. Full details can be found on page 26 of the summer issue of the Pensioner. The insurance commences in July and the annual policy will be from July to June each year.
MOTIONS FOR CONFERENCE – Harry suggested putting forward motions for the National AGM and the debate got a little ‘heated’ over the first which concerned the voting in elections. The current practice is for Groups and Branches to vote based on their declared strength. But with more and more Groups closing then the number of members entitled to vote is becoming less, with the result that the Branches and bigger Groups hold an unfair influence on the voting procedure.
The first motion therefore was a constitutional alteration which changed the voting from Group or Branch strengths to individual member voting. It was considered that as well as being more democratic it allowed for those members who do not belong to an active Group to be involved with the election process if they wished too.
The second motion proposed was to ask the next Government, whether that be Labour or Conservative to stop the selling of the Royal Mail to overseas owners. The view is that the utility companies which have been sold to overseas owners have not been in the public interest and much to the detriment of ordinary people. The information we have is that present shareholders of the Royal Mail will decide in September as to whether to go ahead with the sale and if they say yes, then the change would take place early in 2025.
We were also required to consider nominations for officer and Executive Council posts, to be voted on at the October AGM. We nominated the following:
Chair – Les Priestley (Linda Ridgers-Waite is not standing),
Vice Chair – Roisin Lilley
Northwest Regional Representative – Harry Brett
National Council Open Posts. – Richard West, Charles Cochrane.
Women only Posts – Pam Flynn
The National CSPA Conference will take place on the 9th and 10th October 2024, and Harry nominated that Gil and I (Sue Monro) represent the Liverpool & District Group as delegates. This was agreed by the meeting.
The Treasurer paid the bill for our coffee/tea, as there is no charge for the meeting room, but there is an expectation that we will purchase a drink. The meeting closed at 12-45pm.
Future Events
The Northwest Pensioners Association, a campaigning group which are part of the National Pensioners Convention is having a meeting at Jack Jones House, Liverpool on 26/7/24 @ 12:30 and the meeting discussed attending, with a view to affiliating from the beginning of 2025.
It would greatly assist the committee and allow members to be better and more efficiently informed if they were willing to provide an email address. This would allow the committee to distribute Group Circulars and other information which is currently only seen by those who can attend meetings. If you are willing to provide your Email address, then please send it to the Treasurer, Harry Brett at h_brett@sky.com.
The next scheduled meeting is Monday 30th September 2024 @11am @ Geek Retreat. We are having this meeting at the end of the month as we will be required to mandate our delegates to conference on the motions that have been put forward. These will not be available until the Autumn issue of the Pensioner is sent to members in the middle of September.
The following Meeting after is currently scheduled to take place on Monday 2nd December which will be a short meeting followed by some form of Xmas lunch (last year we had a buffet at the Crown on Lime Street), which unfortunately is not very disabled friendly. We are therefore looking for suggestions, somewhere that can accommodate up to 20 people and can provide either a buffet or sit-down lunch at a not too expensive cost. The meeting could be moved to the 9th of December, as Xmas lunch may not be available so early in December, if we stick with the 2nd. We need to know numbers and so anyone who would be interested in joining us for Xmas lunch then please email one of the officers (Emails below)
We hope you will come to our meetings as you are all very welcome.
Contacts:- Gillian Hill – 07746 036797, gmhill42@gmail.com
Harry Brett – 07999 874864 h_brett@sky.com
Sue Munro – 07790 933326 munroofseaforth@blueyonder.co.uk
