Welcome to the Autumn 2023 edition of the CSPA Norfolk and Suffolk Group Newsletter. I am writing this just after the clocks have been changed, which emphasises that we are well into autumn.
I am sorry to have to tell you that the Chair of the former Suffolk Group, Muriel Palmer, sadly died on 7 September. I met Muriel several times at the CSPA AGM and had several phone conversations with her in connection with the closure of Suffolk Group and making arrangements to establish our present combined group. There is a short tribute to Muriel later in this Newsletter.
Our next Group meeting will be on Wednesday 29 November 2023, at 2 pm, at Chapel Field Road Methodist Church, Norwich, NR2 1SD.
Full details are on page 4 of this Newsletter.
We would still welcome any views from Members of the Group regarding the nature and location of Group meetings. Please do let us know your views, even if it is that you are satisfied with present arrangements. We would be pleased to have more people at our meetings.
Richard
Muriel Palmer
Below are a couple of short reflections on Muriel:
Linda Erith writes: I worked closely with Muriel during the time I was secretary for the Suffolk Group and she was the Chair. She was always very organised and diligent in her duties and worked hard on behalf of the Suffolk Group doing all she could to keep it viable. On a personal level she was a very kind and compassionate friend with a wry sense of humour.
Neville Jarvis writes: Muriel was a Stalwart of the Suffolk Group for many years. Prior to the closure of the Suffolk Group and our amalgamation with Norfolk Group. she held four Officers jobs on the Committee, just to keep it going! She attended several CSPA AGMs.
Muriel’s family held a private cremation, and requested that if anyone would like to make a donation in her memory, please send to: The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon.
We are thrilled to be offering two CSPA-hosted webinars on the 2015 Remedy, commonly referred to as McCloud, on the 22nd and 29th of November, both from 2pm. The panel will be chaired by CSPA Chair Linda Ridgers-Waite, and include CSPA Pensions & Personal Case Manager, Chris Haswell, and our esteemed colleague Stella Humphreys, 2015 Remedy Programme Stakeholder Manager for the Cabinet Office. The sessions should prove helpful for all those affected by the judgement or those who are interested in it, who will in the main have retired between April 2015 and March 2022. You can register to attend one of these free events by clicking on one of these links.
Later Life Ambitions’ pensioners’ manifesto
We plan to use our soon-to-be-launched Later Life Ambitions’ pensioners’ manifesto entitled “Standing by Pensioners” as part of our Autumn campaign to ensure that the Triple Lock is duly applied to State Pensions in the Autumn Budget and that the Civil Service pension increase adheres to the September CPI rate, to properly reflect cost-of-living increases. This handy document also sets out all the main demands of our core campaigns and is being sent to all sitting MPs as well as other decision-makers. It will be launched officially at an event in the House of Commons on the 21st of November.
If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the manifesto, please email enquiries@cspa.co.uk to request one.
Other information, which you may find helpful, is being made available in the form of new CSPA advice sheets, compiled by Chris Haswell, and these can be freely provided to CSPA members and their families on request, or alternatively accessed in the Members’ Area of the website.
Topics on which we currently have advice include:
‘What to do when someone dies’, ‘What happens to your pension in a divorce’ and ‘How to choose a care home’.
Do feel free to request an electronic copy by email or a paper copy by post if this would be of interest to you.
Civil Service pensions are set to increase by 6.7%
Following the recent announcement by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that the Consumer Prices Index for September remains at 6.7%, That percentage should apply to Civil Service pensions because the annual pension increase is underpinned by a statutory link to the inflation rate in the preceding September.
CSPA General Secretary, Sally Tsoukaris, commented “Civil Service pensioners are feeling the cost of living squeeze, so the 6.7% increase from April will help, especially as average Civil Service pensions are so low relative to average Civil Service earnings. For women the average pension is now £7,502 a year, and for men it is £13,513. The overall average Civil Service pension in payment is £9,874 a year, well below the basic tax threshold. That is why so many retired Civil Servants rely on the State Pension to get by, and need the security of the triple-lock.”
Rail Station Ticket Offices
The CSPA is pleased that, following sustained campaigning on the part of unions, age sector organisations, disability rights groups and others, the Government has announced the scrapping of plans to close hundreds of ticket offices around the country!
Changes Of Personal Details, etc.
If you change your address or other details, please remember to let the Group Membership Secretary, Frank Edwards, know. Please also contact Frank in the event of the death of a CSPA member to avoid the distress of unwanted mailings.
The next Meeting of CSPA Norfolk and Suffolk Group will be held on
29 November, 2023, starting at 2 pm,
at Chapel Field Road Methodist Church, Norwich, NR2 1SD
AGENDA
- Welcome and Apologies
- Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 September, 2023,
- Matters Arising
- Secretary’s Report
- Treasurer’s Report
Tea - Review of CSPA AGM in October, 2023. (Please note that it may help if those attending bring with them their copy of the latest – Autumn 2022 – issue of The Pensioner, which included the AGM agenda.)
- Open Forum
- Any Other Business
- Date and venue of next Meeting; Wednesday, 28 February, 2024, at 2 pm, at Chapel Field Road Methodist Church, Norwich, NR2 1SD
Your Current Committee Members Are-
This will be the Group AGM.
Chairman: Richard West 01603 423144 richard.west08@gmail.com
Secretary: Tim Hartstone 01953 558400 t.hartstone@hotmail.co.uk
Treasurer: Alan Marrs 01603 410739
Membership: Frank Edwards 01842 766097 frank.edwards30@sky.com
Derek Land 01508 520532 derek.land@electramail.co.uk
Margaret Noble 01493 296246 megnob43@gmail.com
Delegate: John Thompson 01502 581481 johntommo6@btinternet.com
Neville Jarvis 01394 275490 neville.jarvis1@btinternet.com
