Help CSPA to survive and grow, as an active organisation, protecting you and your pension.

Our September  meeting will decide how we should vote on motions and elections at this year’s CSPA AGM. There will be key decisions that may dictate whether we remain an inclusive, active organisation, or become a passive service provider. What do you want? What can you do to help? Let’s discuss this at our meeting.

If you can, please do come to our next meeting on 12^th September. There’s always a friendly atmosphere, We’ll gather, socially at 1.30 pm. The meeting will start at 2 pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

Your Guide to Sheffield & District Group’s September Meeting

• When: Thursday, 12^th September 2024.
• Where: The Hilton Room, Sheffield Cathedral, Church St, Sheffield S1 1HA – see photos below (please contact the Group Secretary if you need directions).
• Why: This is the meeting where we decide which CSPA National Candidates, we will support, and decide our mandates on National AGM motions.
• Who: Most importantly, YOU. (Please let the Group Secretary know if you would like to contribute to any items on the Agenda, but are unable to attend, so your issue(s) can be raised.

Please do come along if you can. Tea, coffee and good company are available from 1.30 pm

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What’s on the Agenda?

1. Welcome & Introductions (Chair)
2. Apologies.
3. Discussion on Motions and Nominations for the CSPA AGM
4. Social break
5. Reports on Group, Regional & National activities.
6. Any Other Business.

Group Committee Meeting – 8 August 2024 – key decisions & recommendations.

Firstly, a very warm welcome from us all to new members:

Richard Buckley, Peter and Sharon Scott

The Group Committee met via Zoom to consider key issues ahead of the Members’ meeting and discuss recommendations for the CSPA National AGM, to be held on 9^th & 10^th October. You should receive your copy of the AGM agenda with the Autumn edition of The Pensioner. Please bring it with you to the meeting on 12^th September, if you can.

In addition to the AGM issues, we discussed arranging Group Social Events for 2025; arrangements for the December Members’ Meeting and meeting dates for 2025

Unfortunately, there isn’t sufficient space available to include a full report of our discussions and recommendations in this Newsletter. These details are available in the email edition and will be included in the Secretarial report for the Quarterly Members’ Meeting on 12^th September. Please contact the Group Secretary if you want details ahead of the meeting.

Meeting dates for 2025 –  The Committee recommends the following dates for 2025:

• Members’ Meetings – Thursday 20^th March, Thursday 19^th June, Thursday September,  Thursday18^th 

(all in the Hilton Room, Sheffield Cathedral – please make a note in your diary)

• Group Committee Meetings (via Zoom) – Thursday 6^th February, Thursday 8^th May, Thursday 7^th August,  Thursday 30^th

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Have you subscribed to help support our Group for 2024/25

As we reported in March, members agreed that we should seek a £2 annual local subscription from everyone represented by CSPA Sheffield & District Group. Your subscriptions and donations are the only income we have to do the work required to represent and support you (and every other Group member).Thank you, if you’ve subscribed already. If not, please do contribute.

Cheques and cash will be gratefully accepted at any Sheffield & District Group Quarterly Meeting.Or you can pay by: Bank transfer – to CSPA Sheffield Group, Bank Code 08-92-99, A/c No. 65467264, Reference. Please give your initials and surname. Cheque – please post a cheque, payable to CSPA Sheffield Group, to Linda Garner, CSPA, Sheffield & District Group Treasurer, 6 Moorwoods Avenue, Sheffield S35 2WA

Group Chair, Mike Buckley, looks forward to the 2024 CSPA National AGM.

Well, if I wasn’t of such a sunny disposition I would be merely looking ahead to the AGM.

Again, the Alliance’s national annual general meeting is being held in Kenilworth, but is a little earlier than usual, being held 9-10 October. Our Group Committee is recommending we send three delegates, reflecting the strength and vibrancy of our Group. We have a sufficiency of money to cover this, though elsewhere in this Newsletter we again set out our encouragement to help fund the Group’s activity. Sheffield & District Group has submitted four motions for debate. These cover CSPA’s organisation and recruitment work, Social Care and Transport policy. Our speeches will need to be persuasive.

Our 4 motions contribute to a total of over 50 motions, so the AGM will be busy. The agenda covers the full breadth of CSPA members’ interests. Not just Social Care and Transport, but the potential impact on our pensions administration from the change of provider, tax policy and thresholds as they affect our pensions, how data protection and bank branch closures are affecting us, the short notice change to women’s State Pension age, and so on. We will need to be careful that CSPA focusses on the priority issues for us, rather than too many areas: we can’t afford to dilute our efforts and therefore diminish our successes. There are also a number of motions proposing changes to our constitution.

This year there will also be elections! Two candidates for Chair, two for Vice Chair, and 8 for the 5 seats on the National Executive. Sheffield & District has a real stake in these elections, with our own Les Priestley standing as Chair, and yours truly for the National Executive. Happily, our Andy Aitchison will continue to represent the North East Region on the Executive.

As well as hearing Sally Tsoukaris’ annual report as General Secretary, Mike Sparham’s Treasurer report on our finances, and David Luxton’s report on organisation and recruitment, I am looking forward to the planned presentation about the post-General Election political landscape. I am sure it will make all my tramping of the streets of Sheffield and Penistone worthwhile!

Mike Buckley

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News from North East Region

CSPA North East Regional Representative Andy Aitchison writes:

The latest quarterly meeting of the Yorkshire and Humber Branch of the National Pensioners Convention took place on Wednesday 17^th July 2024 at The Railwaymen’s Club in Scarborough. The meeting was very well attended and after the early formalities there was a tribute paid to long-standing member Sandra Lester, who had died recently……….

(Continued on Page 4)

(Andy Aitchison’s News from North East Region, Continued)

The guest speakers were from the much-publicised WASPI campaign (Women Against State Pension Inequality). They explained that thousands of women born in the early fifties who had their pension ages increased without proper advice have suffered hardship as a result. Their savings were used up due to difficulty obtaining short-term employment. Many had made plans in anticipation of receiving the state pension which had to be cancelled. Over 285,00 of those affected have since passed away. The campaign started in 2015 and is still ongoing, pushing for more appropriate compensation. There has been little public support from MPs for the campaign (apart from the SNP) even though the Ombudsman’s report supported the claims for compensation. The most recent offer of £1000 to £2500 in compensation is not enough or acceptable. There have been numerous events held around the country to help raise money for the continuing cause.

After a short Q&A with the WASPI campaigners, the YHPC branch officers gave their reports. Kevin Fradley explained he was acting as Chair due to Rosie Pickard being unable to attend. Jill Ainsworth gave her Treasurers report with funds still being in a reasonably healthy state. Secretary Fran Postlethwaite announced that a new YHPC leaflet has been printed listing all the current campaigns. The NPC HQ had requested that all branches adopt the new ‘Working Together’ document as part of the new constitution. After some discussion there was a vote in the room and this was carried.

The Annual NPC Convention will be going ahead in Blackpool at The imperial Hotel on September 3^rd and 4^th.  There will be another Older People’s Day on October 1^st but also a day of action in York on Saturday September 28^th. There then followed a number of reports from national NPC Working Parties. I was able to feed back on the Finance Working Party as I now sit on this as a representative of YHPC. After a number of local affiliated group reports the meeting was closed. The next meeting of YHNPC will be at 11am on Thursday 24^th October at Unite Offices, Leeds.  

As usual I send warmest greetings to you all at Sheffield Group and I hope to see some of you at the September meeting when I will be able to give a verbal report back from the NPC Annual Convention

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Introducing your 2024 Group Committee  (1) Beryl Wardley

We asked Beryl for a short  article on her experiences as a Sheffield & District Group Committee member. Here is her response:

I have been both a member and on the committee for many years. I joined the committee on retirement because  I wanted to contribute and give something back to CSPA as I  feel strongly and passionately that this organisation does sterling work on behalf of its members acting, in a manner of speaking, as a pressure group that works tirelessly to look after and represent you, our members. There are various characters on the committee and this adds to the pleasure of being one of them.  My role is as Social Secretary and we have visited many interesting places eg theatres, museums, gardens and are planning future events.  We would love to see more of you joining these social events and You never know you might enjoy it.

Beryl Wardley

Heartfelt thanks for all you do for us Beryl. More in forthcoming Newsletters – John.