Tel: 01323 486573 E-mail: contact via the SENPeC website
Vice Chairman……Vacancy
Treasurer………….Peggy Sandford, 31 Cunningham Avenue, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2PE
Tel/fax: 01483 571546
MINUTES OF THE OPEN MEETING HELD IN NPC OFFICES ON MONDAY 23 APRIL 2007
1a. Officers in Attendance.
Richard Sharp Chairman Gordon Dowell Minutes Secretary
Peggy Sandford Treasurer
1b. Delegates from affiliated groups.
A W (Bill) Cobbett British Pensioners East Grinstead and District Branch
James Greed TSSA London & SE RMB
Olive Holman NUT Brighton & Hove RMB
Terry Reilly Mid Sussex OPC
Alexandra Barnes LTSA & LPTA
Les Marrill UNISON SE RMB (vice Sylvia Green)
Janice Hills UNISON Bournewood Health RMB
June Smith PCS (ARMS)
1b. Apologies.
Ray Bush Former Vice-Chairman and Shepway Pensioners’ Forum
Steve Fagan Secretary
David Ashton Crawley Pensioners Action Group
P Burrows NARPO Brighton District
Sylvia Green UNISON South East Region
Ron Cooper CHO London SW Thames
Ron Murphy
2. Chairman’s opening remarks.
The Chairman welcomed those present especially June Smith who had taken over the role of PCS delegate from Ann Burrows and Les Marrill who was in place of Sylvia Green. Would Gordon please obtain Junes contact details for the list of Affiliates on the web-site. He then stated that he wished to comment on the unusual circumstances of the previous meeting and any lack of courtesy that may have been displayed towards delegates. Unfortunately, just before that meeting, his wife had been diagnosed with what was confirmed as breast cancer and with hindsight perhaps it would have been better not to try to take the meeting. Fortunately it was successfully removed. However, he would understand it if the meeting wished another delegate to take the chair. The meeting endorsed the Chairman to continue. However it was agreed that if he felt his personal pressures were too much during the meeting, Gordon would take over. In view of the unfortunate recurrence of a back problem, Steve Fagan’s role of Secretary would be shared by the Chairman and Minute Secretary which was agreed.
The Tunbridge Wells One Day Pensioners Conference on 11th March had been a great success, despite a relatively poor turnout and the he was sorry not to have been there, but Mrs Sharp had been discharged from hospital on the 10th March after her operation. Guest Speakers at the Conference had been Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall and other eminent persons including Doctors Andrew O’Brien and Yvonne Doyle who spoke on the problems of the NHS, and Ian Ward from CWU HQ who spoke eloquently on Post Office closures. Bill Cobbett, Terry Reilly and David Ashton gave an informative insight on the unfairness of Council Tax and the exercise being taken to prove the deliberate siphoning off of Business Rates in the South East to subsidise Council Tax in the Labour heartlands. Also present were Joe Harris, NPC National Secretary and Dot Gibson; NPC Vice President; who closed the conference with a stirring contribution. Special thanks to Steve for arranging this event and to Gordon who did a good last minute job as Chairman and not least to our guests and those who attended.
After concluding his remarks, Bill Cobbett was unanimously supported when he suggested the meeting expressed their sympathy and best wishes to the Chairman and his wife for a speedy and complete recovery.
3. Minutes of the AGM held 23rd October 2006
These were taken as read and agreed.
Proposed:- J Greed – Seconded:- Terry Reilly
3a. Matters Arising
Alexandra Barnes asked for clarification on the future status of the AGM as it seemed we were treating it the same as any other open meeting. Chairman explained that when the Region was et up we held EC meetings and Open Meetings, one of which was the AGM. However, as the Region was geographically large, and to ensure maximum participation by delegates, all our meetings were now designated as open with one being used to accommodate normal and AGM business as it was not tenable to recall with any accuracy that which was discussed 12 months earlier – far better to agree minutes and deal with arising matters at the next meeting when we are structured to have open meetings only with the proviso that if a matter arose, the Officers and EC could convene a special meeting and present any decision for ratification at the next open meeting. This streamlined procedure and reduced organising and other costs whilst retaining the authority of delegates to agree or counter any decisions taken at any such special meeting. This did not prejudice in any way the provisions of our Constitution, clause 4g, for calling an Emergency General Meeting.
Any ensuing amendments to the Constitution would be tabled at the 2007 AGM.
4. Minutes of the Open Meeting held 22nd January 2007
These were read and agreed
4a.Matters arising
Regrettably our notes for this item do not make sense – apologies to those who raised issues – would they please bring forward to the meeting to be held on 23rd July.
5. Correspondence
· Roger Batt and John Sargeant, (Sec and Chair) of Nat Fed of RM & BT Pensioners had written to withdraw from affiliation “due to pressure of commitments”. It was hoped that Steve Fagan would contact them and ascertain what, if any, difficulties had arisen.
· Steve Fagan was in correspondence with MPs on the topic “Wake up England” over pensioners’ concerns about Council Tax.
· Further correspondence from Joy Shaw, ATW, concerning issues raised under the Maastricht Treaty were presented. Chairman pointed out that this was an area wherein the Region was not knowledgeable and it was therefore unfair to Joy to try to interpret that which she wished us to do. Alexandra Barnes proposed that the Secretary contact Joy again and ask her; in light of the complexity of the issues mentioned in her letters; to specify precisely what she wished us to do on her behalf.
· Steve Fagan had received a letter of resignation from Ray Bush. Chairman undertook to write to Ray and thank him for his contribution since the Region was set up.
· UNISON Swale had written to inform the Region that they had disbanded and would therefore cease to be an affiliate.
· Bill Cobbett mentioned that this item should have included details that he had sent by recorded delivery to the Secretary. Chairman was unaware of any such letter.
Post meeting note- Gordon Dowell had given Chairman a sealed envelope before meeting, but as it was addressed to him, he had assumed that it was personal correspondence and had not opened it. Upon opening at home it contained the letter referred to by Bill Cobbett. Chairman contacted Bill and explained the omission.
6. Secretary’s report (read by Chairman)
· Steve re-iterated his apologies for absence. The meeting asked that we record our wishes for a speedy return to his ebullient self.
· He would try to raise pensions and tax issues and the need for a Pensioners’ Auditor by emergency motions at the CWU Retired Members Section Conference to be held at Bournemouth in June.
· He would report back at our next meeting on the Pensioners’ Parliament to be held at Blackpool in June.
7. Treasurers report.
Peggy reported as follows:-
(Finance Specifics omitted)
Bill Cobbett enquired about the way fees reached Peggy. Chairman thought that perhaps the lack of re-affiliation to the Region may be due to a misconception whereby affiliated bodies thought that if their organisation had affiliated at National level they were automatically affiliated at local level. Maybe we need to make this clear in any reminder or invitation to (re)affiliate.
Peggy was concerned with Shepway and it was agreed that the Secretary would ascertain their total membership – do they qualify for an under or over 30 members fee?
8. Other reports.
Bill Cobbett mentioned that Joe Harris had invited him to join a National working party where he could progress the Pensioners’ Auditor initiative. He also welcomed the support for the Pensioners’ Auditor given by Kate Hoey at Tunbridge Wells.
Gordon Dowell reported that a Motion supporting the provision of a Pensioners’ Auditor proposed at the CWU Retired Members Conference in March had not been carried due to a total misinterpretation of the issue by other delegates.
Terry Reilly highlighted concerns that the Business Rate raised by Local Councils and paid in to the National Pool was unfairly distributed as Central Government sets tariffs and targets but penalises so called rich areas by not returning a sufficient portion of the business rate as a grant, preferring to featherbed their own heartlands.
He gave a comparison of Manchester (no Tory Councillors) against Mid Sussex:-
Average Council tax bill for 2006 2007
Manchester £730 £740
Mid Sussex £1328 £1388
This reflects the higher value of properties and post-codes and takes no account of ability to pay. Terry would give further figures and amplification at our next meeting on 23rd July.
9. Motions and amendments to NPC Bi-annual Conference
Chairman reported that at this time, he was not aware of any amendments to the motions on the order paper. He was, however the TSSA official delegate to the Conference and he hoped the Region would support the TSSA motion on Policy.
The nominations for President and Vice Presidents were noted. Chairman was concerned that we had no one who was a household name outside the NPC such as our past Presidents, Jack Jones and Rodney Bickerstaffe, and whilst the commitment to the Pensioners’ movement was unquestionable, the nominations were virtually unknown by the public at large. Perhaps this is why the NPC are becoming a low profile organisation and perhaps why we need a publicly recognisable figurehead who can persuade the fickle media that we are a body of considerable account.
Alexandra Barnes suggested that whilst in the past nominees came from a strong back-ground, this perhaps was not the case today.
10. Any other business as per clause 3f of the Constitution
No items had been tabled. However the Chairman has used his prerogative to put the following items raised during the meeting under this category:-
· Gordon Dowell advised the meeting that he would be seeking nomination for the vacant post of Vice-Chairman
· Alexandra Barnes was co-opted as an EC Member.
11. Date and time of next meeting
Monday 23rd July at 11.00 for 11.30 start.
Chairman thanked all who attended and for their contributions, wishing them a safe journey home. Meeting closed at 13.09hrs.