This was the Year 2016
A new Age UK survey has found that 53% of older people (aged 65+) believe they’ve been targeted by fraudsters, and that while many do not respond, of those who do 70% of people of all age groups said that they had personally lost money. The research suggests that a third of older people who responded to a scam may have lost £1,000 or more.
MAYORAL ELECTION PENSIONERS MANIFESTO>>>click image
That was the year that was 2015
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Love the Bus petition presented
Election Pensioner
Question Time
17 th April
999 Save the NHS, Jarrow March join in, follow the link click here> /campaigns.html
Hundreds of pensioners from across the UK gathered in Westminster on October 26th to lobby their MPs to demand three basic rights as outlined below:
The campaign, organised by Britain’s biggest pensioner pressure group – the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), called for:
- The basic state pension to be raised above the official poverty level
- A National Care Service paid for through general taxation
- A winter fuel allowance of £500 per pensioner household
MORE PICTURES FROM THE 30TH NOVEMBER 2011 MARCH & RALLY FOR PENSIONS JUSTICE IN BIRMINGHAM. WHAT A GREAT DAY!
Pictured below some of the WMPC-Regional EC and National Members with the National Officer- NPC.
Click to enlarge.
EC Officers at a recent Joint- NPC-Regional Meeting.
Many joined the West Midlands Pensioners Convention March and Lunch Time Rally in the pouring rain.This march provoked lots of debate and discussion making it still relevant for this new articles-debate page for 2013.
The March Started at Transport House, Transport & General Workers Offices, Broad Street, Birmingham.
Our latest campaign in 2014 is against the Centro public transport cuts. Here is a copy of our latest Press release, which includes our next campaign stop. Join us.
The pledge, by David Cameron, on the future of our state pensions and the triple lock mechanism, is of course welcome. Our suspicion is that this is a cynical attempt to win the support and votes of pensioners.
We are also concerned about the intentions of George Osborne of further savage cuts and any plans for Universal Benefits.
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention are seeking assurances from all the major parties, that our bus passes, winter Fuel allowances, TV licences and indeed free prescriptions will be secure, if our regions pensioners choose to vote for them.
We in the West Midlands Pensioners Convention, will campaign vociferously to protect our Pensioner Universal entitlements.
Our immediate concern is to oppose any CENTRO Cuts to Pensioners free travel on our regions rail and tram service, and we urge CENTRO not to cease funding or to reduce our vital Ring and Ride Service.
Our Campaigns continue and our next meeting is on the 30th January 2014 at Transport House, Broad Street, Birmingham- 11-0am to 1-0pm. Please join us at least for a coffee or tea. Tha
Thanks for the support. All future letters, articles and discussion can be viewed on this page. Please consider writing a short article on matters of interest.Thanks.
We welcome articles and contributions from all Pensioner groups in the Midlands.
I have now included below the NPC's initial analysis of social care funding which you can now download/print.
NPC Social Care Briefing
Please find attached the NPC’s analysis of the recent announcement on social care funding.
Neil Duncan-Jordan
National Officer
NPC
Social Care funding reform briefing paper February 2014.doc
111K View Download
The following reform does nothing to improve the quality of services currently on offer. It was announced a rise from £23,250 to £123,000 in the amount of assets people have before having to contribute to the costs of nursing care. Please see our full updated analysis.
The cap figure is so much higher than that recommended by a 2011 review, which said it should be set at £35,000. Perhaps yet another hit on the least better off in today's society.
Our National Pensioners Convention released the following press release:
Social care plan lacks sufficient funding to make a difference to people’s lives.
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has described the government’s plan to reform social care funding as “about as credible as a Findus Lasagne” because it lacks sufficient funding to tackle the problems that pensioners face.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “The social care system needs urgent and radical reform, but these proposals simply tinker at the edges. The current system is dogged by means-testing, a postcode lottery of charges, a rationing of services and poor standards and nothing in the plan looks like it will address any of these concerns. Setting a lifetime cap on care costs of £75,000 will help just 10% of those needing care, whilst the majority will be left to struggle on with a third rate service. The government needs to be much braver and bolder if it it really going to sort out the problems – otherwise in a few years time we’ll be back again having another look at the issue. Using inheritance tax or money saved from the state pension system simply won’t raise enough money to bring about the change that’s needed. It’s time we merged health and social care and had a truly integrated system which was funded through general taxation – like the NHS – rather than put all the responsibility on pensioners and their families. Getting older and needing care isn’t a lifestyle choice – so why should the cost of care not be shared by society as a whole? Frankly, the plan as it stands is about as a credible as a Findus Lasagne.”
Please also consider signing a anti-cuts petition. Click below for full details.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40451
Adult and Communities service review - Neither a Green Paper nor a Dialogue
The problem confronting Sir Albert Bore is how to cut even deeper into social care services where he knows that pound by pound he will hurt the most vulnerable in our city. An existing £46m is being cut annually from the adult social care budget and from 2014-15 Bore wants to increase this total to £75m.
The Labour leadership has embarked on a series of fundamental service reviews across all the services run by the Council and is publishing the results as a series of Green Papers. The Adult and Communities Green Paper has now been published and the Council has embarked on a series of ‘Dialogue’ meetings with service users and carers over the summer to sound out these latest cut proposals.
Anyone who has read a Government Green paper will know it is a substantial document with detailed discussion of policy options. Apparently Sir Albert doesn’t want us to be bogged down in details, the specific proposals involving £29m worth of cuts consist of just half a page of a very short seven page paper.
Members of the pubic attending the dialogue meeting struggle to understand what is being proposed by the council, and most importantly what it means for the services they use and how it might affect their lives. But what Council officers have been told by service users at these meetings is how much the existing cuts are already affecting peoples lives.
Carers, often elderly, have repeatedly complained about the increasing difficulty of accessing short breaks for the adult children they care for. Contacting social workers and the time involved in waiting for assessments and for care services was again a familiar concern. One carer complained about finding a home carer employed by a private home care company contracted by the Council asleep on his mothers sofa.
The proposals themselves involve yet more privatisation of care services where the Council will no longer directly provide any services and move to that of a commissioning authority only. Birmingham has closed and outsourced all its residential homes for adults in recent years, it is now proposing to ‘externalise’ its remaining specialist care services and to stop providing all respite care.
The Green Paper refers to a ‘demand management’ approach where it identifies the most expensive groups of service users requiring the most expensive care, referred to in the Green Paper as ‘high cost, high end care’, with the objective of reducing the costs of care for that group.
The Green Paper and ‘Dialogue’ meetings are an attempt to prepare the public for ‘bad news’ ahead of setting the Council budget for 2014-15, which will begin in earnest in the Autumn. The Green Papers are to be discussed at Council Ward Committees in August and September and it is important that people attend and raise their concerns.
Sir Albert Bore has told us that his raison d'être is ‘protecting the most vulnerable’, what he needs to told loud and clear and by as many people as possible that the cuts to adult social care are hurting not protecting the most vulnerable in Birmingham!
Jolyon Jones
I promised a little humour, so here we have a little for starters. Sent in by Catherine and Roy.
The elders of a church in the Bible belt of southern America decided that the outside of their wooden church was looking decidedly shabby and that it needed a new coat of paint.
One of the members of the church, Amos Filch who was a painter, bid for the job and won.
The scaffolding was duly erected and he commenced work.
As he was near to finishing the job he chuckled to himself that they would never know that he had thinned down the paint so that he only needed 20 gallons instead of the 30 gallons he was charging for and so making a tidy profit.
Just then the sky turned black and the heavens opened up and washed away most of the paint; a bolt of lightning hit the church spire causing Amos to fall off the scaffolding onto the grass below.
The clouds parted and a shaft of light shone on Amos. Being a religious man Amos knew he was in trouble with the Lord so scrambling to his knees he prayed, “I'm sorry oh Lord, please forgive me, what can I do to make amends”?
A voice boomed from the heavens,
“ REPAINT, REPAINT AND THIN NO MORE ''.
There is a discussion paper on making an alternative response to the Adult and Communities Green Paper here:
http://communitiesagainstthecuts.com/2013/08/15/the-future-of-care-services-in-the-city-time-for-a-real-debate/
Over fifty thousand marched and joined the rally at Manchester on the 29th September 2013 in support of the NHS. Many of the Pensioners Convention members were in attendance, in what the Police described as the largest march seen in Manchester.
The demonstration aimed to highlight the impact of government policies on jobs and spending across the health service, as well as the “rapid selloff” of the most lucrative parts of the NHS to private healthcare companies.
They were in Manchester to protest against the privatisation of the NHS by the Tories and their Lib Dem partners. The growing mood of resistance was fully in evidence. The march wound through the streets for three hours. At its head was public-service Union Unison, a contingent which was itself thousands strong. A huge display of strength was shown by people of all ages. Following the march union leaders were due to address a rally alongside appearances by musicians.
Still lot’s more to say on spying including the news that British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden. And as I type, the UK is trying to block minor reforms of protection by the European Union. Again very frightening, but some organisations are working on solving the problem in our interests. More soon. Ivor Timson
The National Health Service: something we we all depend upon to some degree (even if we hold “private” health insurance), could soon be just a fond memory as we are forced to watch it being dismantled and its place being taken by a profit-based health market, where only money talks.
This will surely impact upon us all and impact upon services for the older person and the wider communities.The Government’s new plans for the NHS could spell the end of our precious and pioneering ‘free for all at the point of need’ principled service. It could be turned into a cherry-picking, maximised-profit-driven free-for-all in the very worst sense.
The Clinical Commissioning Groups will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal. They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts this year (2013). The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, Community Services, and Continuing Healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.The big move to privatisation could well be the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider.Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. We need to have a say as the CCG’s are meeting now.
It is not too late. If you want a National Health Service that is meaningful, then be prepared to do it service and to be of service to it: it’s mutually beneficial. Ivor Timson- North Warwickshire
2013 International Women’s Day Event
Asbestos and Women’s Health
An Ongoing Health and Safety Disaster
The West Midlands Hazards Trust and Asbestos Support West Midlands invited all women to this
International Women’s Day event. Asbestos related diseases have traditionally been associated
with men, the truth is asbestos and other occupational health dangers are having a disastrous
affect on women’s health. The day examined the problem and set out what could be done. It
featured expert presentations and gave plenty of opportunities for debate and discussion.
Speakers included:
Laurie Kazan-Allen, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat
Hilda Palmer, Hazards Campaign and Families Against Corporate Killers.
Plus a rare showing of the film Alice a Fight for Life.
The event was supported and sponsored by::
Birmingham Unison, UCATT Midlands Region, PCS Midlands and the Midlands TUC
Sent in by Yvonne Washbourne.
Pensioner group slams Lord’s idea of “National Service for the over 60s”
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has criticised a suggestion from Lord Bichard that those who have just retired should be forced to undertake voluntary work or risk losing part of their pension.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “This amounts to little more than National Service for the over 60s and is absolutely outrageous. Those who have paid their national insurance contributions for 30 or more years are entitled to receive their state pension and there should be no attempt to put further barriers in their way. We already have one of the lowest state pensions in Europe and one in five older people in Britain live below the poverty line. This suggestion from Lord Bichard would only make that situation worse. But the real scandal is that he hasn’t understood the value that pensioners already bring to our society – contributing £40bn extra every year in unpaid volunteering and caring. Without the army of older volunteers many parts of our society would begin to crumble. Lord Bichard’s comments are also extremely divisive – trying to pitch younger people against older people, when the truth is that the real division in our society is between rich and poor. Frankly, Lord Bichard needs to think twice before making such silly and ill-informed remarks”. Press Release.
New article just received.
Our NHS is slipping over the abyss into the jaws of the profit greedy profiteers, with just two months to go before the biggest re-organisation in the history of the NHS. The adverse implications, for senior citizens, of all these changes is very worrying. We face being discriminated against and excluded from a whole range of medical treatments; with only the better off senior citizens able to pay for and access an increasingly privatised Health Service.
A good indicator of these concerns, are reports of falling staff levels and real problems with the provision of quality patient care, the Health and Social Care Act will do nothing to address these issues. This as been highlighted, again by the BBC Inside Out investigation which detailed that of 12,000 reported incidents of inadequate patient care; 40% were due to bedsores!
Having worked in this area myself, I know at first hand, that the only way to prevent and effectively deal with bedsores is through effective monitoring and re-positioning of patients at regular intervals throughout the day /night. This is particularly the case where patients are unable to move themselves whilst in a bed or chair, which is often the case where someone is obese, is hospitalised as the result of a fall, severe arthritis and many other conditions that are often associated with those of us who are increasing in years.
In the West Midlands we already have the highest number of reported incidents of poor prevention and treatment of bedsores throughout the NHS. With Clinical Commissioning Groups operating to budgets set by NHS Commissioning Boards dominated by Private Sector Consultancies; there is very little likelihood that the necessary staffing levels will be funded to deal with issues such as bedsores.The issue of patient bedsores is just one more reason for fighting to keep our NHS Public. As the Regional Secretary said in his new year address 'maybe pensioners need to return from their self-imposed retreat into exclusive retirement'
Get involved in the campaigns to Save Our NHS- below are some organisations we can support.
www.38degrees.org.uk
http://www.saveournhs-wm.org.uk/
http://www.keepournhspublic.com
http://www.nationalhealthaction.org.uk/
Brian Allbutt- Birmingham.
Must include the following letter due to the cold weather conditions we are currently experiencing.
Dear Ivor,
Tonight, people without a home may need to sleep out in the freezing cold, desperately trying to keep warm on the street. It’ll be below zero – and that might mean not waking up in the morning. [1]
When it gets this cold, local councils are meant to activate an emergency plan to find people sleeping rough and get them into the warm. [2] Some councils are moving fast to save lives. But others may be dragging their heels instead of working quickly to find the people in danger.
Could you send a quick email to your local councillors to ask what they’re doing to help get people off the streets tonight?
It’s incredibly easy to email your councillors using the 38 Degrees website.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
If your local councillors aren’t doing much, lots of emails from 38 Degrees members asking about the emergency plan could be just the kick they need.
As the snow falls, the best councils have staff on the phone getting different departments to work together. They’re using camp beds and community centres to help people with nowhere to go keep out of the deadly cold. [3]
If lots of us send e-mails today, we can show our councillors we want them to act fast, and let them know it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to save lives.
We’ll find your local councillors from your postcode, and there’s a template e-mail you can use if you’re not sure what to say. It only takes 2 mins and it could make all the difference in your local area:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Together, 38 Degrees members use people power to change things for the better. Whether it’s banding together to protect the NHS we love or standing up to the power and greed of Rupert Murdoch, we change things in the real world by signing petitions, sending e-mails and meeting up in our local communities.
Right now, we have a chance to use people power to get people off the freezing, dark streets tonight. Can you send a quick e-mail?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Thanks for all the good that you do,
Marie, Hannah, Belinda and the 38 Degrees team
Our recession/slump I know is know having an affect on our members- but please remember the plight of many in other countries-the following amplifies.
Greece’s austerity policies could create a crisis of insolvency within the country, undermining the very reason they were implemented – to repay the country’s debt - says the country’s biggest labour confederation.
“I am afraid that we may see a phenomenon that could cause a social explosion,” says Savvas Robolis, scientific director for the Labour Institute of the General Confederation of Workers in Greece (GSEE), the private sector’s confederation of unions. “Right now many people can’t pay their taxes. That’s why state revenue fell 300 million euros ($395m) short of January targets. If that continues, I don’t know if the state will be able to meet its obligations by June or July. It may not have the cash to pay salaries and pensions.”
The state heavily subsidises approximately 1.3 million pensions, according to finance ministry data. It also pays the salaries of almost 800,000 state employees, roughly a quarter of all people still working in the country. Failure to pay those pensions and salaries in full would greatly impact on the state’s own tax revenues, and therefore its ability to maintain payments to international creditors.
Pensions and salaries have already been cut by 40 percent during the crisis, says GSEE’s Labour Institute. A new wave of austerity being implemented this year will raise those cuts to an estimated 50 percent. At the same time, Greeks have faced higher sales tax at the supermarket, higher fuel tax, a new property tax and a ‘solidarity fee’ of 1-3 percent on their salaries.
The squeeze is causing chronic pain. “I don’t see why a person should pay tax to hold onto a home they’ve already spent a lifetime paying off,” says Argyro Syriga, an unemployed mother of one. She inherited a house from her father, but now fears she may lose it. Her power was cut off six weeks ago because she could pay neither the electricity bill nor the property tax that rides on it.
"These measures are unbalanced, unfair and chiefly ineffective. They haven’t brought prospects to the economy, but they have produced plenty of drama in society."
- Vangelis Moutafis, union official
Sent in by the late Ron Dorman our Press and Publicity Officer.
Back to the UK and our finances.
Fundraising is of paramount importance to our organisation, so please send us donations and consider the following.
www.easyfundraising.org.uk
You will need to register your own account and then nominate West Midlands Pensioners' Convention each time you make a purchase online. There are more than 2000 participating retailers including Amazon, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis. Each retailer will donate between 1% and 9% of the purchase price. David our Treasurer will announce further details at the next Regional Council meetings.
Received the following letter regarding the TUC March.
Dear Ivor
Sixteen of Walsall Pensioners marched in London for a Future that Works,this
was particularly successful for us as we were not only interviewed by the Daily
Mirror but had quite an article including pictures in Mondays edition.
This can only highlight the Pensioner movement in the Midlands.
PETER LAST
Copy of the latest news-e-mail.
Dear all,
At the forefront of the Government’s plans to privatise the NHS will be local Clinical Commissioning Groups comprised of groups of GP’s. There are currently three proposed CCG’s in Birmingham, Birmingham and Solihull Cluster- Cross City, Birmingham South and Central, and Sandwell and West Birmingham. There is a CCG for Coventry and Rugby, one for Walsall, Wolverhampton, North Warwickshire and a CCG for Solihull which even has it's own website www.solihullccg.nhs.uk There are others and most are offering differing forms of consultation, which are either proposed or taking place. Please telephone for further information. The full list can be found on the following website: http://www.westmidlands.nhs.uk/WhatWeDo/ClinicalCommissioningGroups.aspx
The CCG’s will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal.They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts.The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, community services, and continuing healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.
The big move to privatisation is the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider’.
Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. Perhaps we could make contact through our branches and affiliated bodies to influence policy decisions and avoid privatisation?
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention really could make a difference and help preserve our NHS, but we must act quickly.
We have the knowledge, experience and the negotiating skills.
Meetings need to be convened to involve local people in campaigning to pressure their CCG’s to make changes to their constitutions. In Birmingham and the West Midlands- plus area, campaign groups need to meet and to make contact with their appropriate local CCG. A first step could be to obtain copies of their draft constitutions.They have a legal responsibility to consult. In some areas we may need to combine with other groups.
An important priority for the campaign as outlined to our Regional Council, is to explain to the public what is happening to their NHS and to get them involved in discussions with their CCG. Please discuss these issues in the relevant branches.
Perhaps we can trigger a debate at our important meeting on Saturday 10th November-1-15pm onwards at Carr's Lane Church Centre. Birmingham. Who Owns the NHS? Full details can be found on our website. Hope this e-mail helps.
Further details also included on the CENTRO/WMPC meeting arranged by CENTRO for 1.30pm to 3.00pm held on Thursday 1st November 2012 for consultation of pensioners problems on the Bus and Rail services within the West Midlands.
Many other issues and up to date news on our website including news from Wolverhampton, the NPC lobby and much more. New articles and photos soon.
Ivor Timson
PS. Please inform me if you require any changes or additions. All local articles and photos appreciated.
Update: it’s working! The petition demanding an investigation into lives put at risk by private health companies is growing fast with over 90,000 signatures so far. Thanks so much for being part of it.
If we can get the petition to 100,000, we will deliver it by hand to a powerful committee of MPs. There’s a great chance that it will convince them to launch a high-profile investigation into private health companies, just like they recently did for tax-dodgers.
Can you help by spreading the word to your friends and family? Please forward this email and ask friends to sign the petition here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Before Christmas, it was revealed that private companies like Serco and Care UK are putting lives in danger. They’ve been cashing in on contracts to provide GP services at the weekend and overnight. Now it looks like they’ve not been doing a proper job - and lives are at risk as a result.
There’s a powerful committee of MPs that has the power to do a proper investigation into their behaviour - and stop them getting further contracts if they’ve been doing a bad job. But there are lots of demands on the committee’s time. They’ll only investigate if they know there’s great public concern.
Together we can show MPs that an investigation is needed now to make sure no more lives are put at risk. The Public Accounts Committee has a strong track record at holding big bosses to account – at the end of last year they grilled Google, Amazon and Starbucks about tax dodging. Now is the time to demand they do the same for the bosses of private health companies.
Please ask your friends and family to help us reach 100,000 signatures by forwarding this email and asking them to click the link below:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Thanks for being involved,
Hannah, Becky, Robin and the 38 Degrees team
News on the EU and Water Bills.
Plans to force water companies to remove traces of pharmaceuticals found in lakes, rivers and seashore waters used in commonly used drugs are being drawn up by the European Commission. Estimates of such an exercise are £20 Billion over 20 years. This would push up the annual cost of water bills for water and sewerage services to around £420.
Whether or not such legislation is necessary, it should be decided by Britain's Government and not by the unelected and unaccountable Commission in Brussels. In addition the cost should be borne by the private water companies.
The Democrat -December 2012
A money printer for us all.
Britain's poorest people face a nightmare of increasing deprivation as coalition cuts bite even deeper this year. Trade Unions and Charities have recently reported their grave concerns. For our failed societal systems and for those in control, it seems they need to resort to quantitative easing, were money is printed to try to save their system and their wealth. For the remainder and the majority of our society, it leads to increased poverty.
Citizens Advice centres throughout the UK have reported that its bureaus are referring more very hungry families to food banks than ever before. And the charity warned numbers will rise further as welfare cuts take billions out of the economy next month.
In another report, Shelter the Housing Charity warned that more than five million families in England face the choice of putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their heads. Four in every 10 families have had to cut down on food spending, because they were struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, according to a YouGov poll of 4,000 families for the charity.
A Trade Union representative said: "The only growth sector is food banks and soup kitchens." We have only had a 20 per cent so far of the cuts planned by the coalition government''. A point consistently argued at our Birmingham and area meetings.
"The cuts to welfare on April 6 2013 will make the poor pay for multi- national violations and a crisis created by the banks.
A TUC Regional Spokesperson also stated: "The impending cuts, on top of already severe reductions in welfare payments, will drive the most vulnerable people into even deeper poverty. Trade Unions, Pensioner groups and Charities throughout the UK are calling for a change of direction.
In Birmingham, whole communities face having to loose their NHS Walk in Centres. Yet another attack upon our precious NHS. The City also is facing unprecedented cuts. Many other areas face a future of even more reductions in services.
Lets dispose of this dismal future, because society can be changed. We can achieve this , but we must be organised. We can achieve a peaceful world and forge a decent future for us all.
One reason, it is occurring today is down to the Government following an austerity policy, which is clearly not working; but suits those that have wealth and power, and not those that have worked there bones throughout their lives. In one form or another, we have all contributed. The vast majority of the country are not tax dodgers or scroungers. The real culprits are mainly the major worldwide companies, who are often literally bankrupt, and rely upon fictitious capital, but still exploit us all.
Perhaps, we could all be provided with a money printer!
The government is to axe an extra £2.5 billion from Britain's overall welfare budget from April 6th 2013. We surely must resist.
For an alternative economic and political analysis and ways forward, please read my earlier posts. We need a more affective strategy and action to counteract all these cuts and the tissues of lies peddled out by the mainstream media and the Government.
The poorest in our society should not pay for a economic slump; caused mainly by the Banks and a social system out of control. Surely a printer for all is in order! We can do much better and create a fair society!
Ivor Timson Msc(Econ)
Anyone wanting advice on the new welfare reforms- please either telephone or e-mail for further information and advice.
The late Ron Dorman asked me to include the following important article.
The Health & Social Care Act
Here are some of the main features of the Lansley Health & Social Care Act presented in bullet point form for clarity. As I get more information (and time) I will add to the notes as necessary.
BMA has said “forcing commissioners of care to tender contracts to any willing provider, including commercial companies could destabilise local health economies and fragment care for patients”. The BMA went on to state that adding price competition to the mix could also allow large commercial companies to enter the NHS market and chase the profitable contracts, using their size to undercut on price, which could ultimately damage local services.
Kieran Walshe, professor of health and management, and Chris Ham, Chief Executive of Kings Trust state “It is difficult to see who is in charge of the NHS”. There are five bodies; Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the Care Equality Commission, NHS Commission Board and Monitor.
David Cameron has set up a separate panel to advise him on the reforms; members of this panel include Lord Crisp (NHS chief executive 2000-2006), Bill Moyes (a former head of Monitor), and the head of global health systems at McKinsey,[21][22] as well as Mark Britnell, the head of health policy at KPMG. Six months previously Britnell had told a conference of private healthcare executives that "In future, the NHS will be a state insurance provider not a state deliverer," and emphasised the role of Lansley's reforms in making this possible: "The NHS will be shown no mercy and the best time to take advantage of this will be in the next couple of years." KPMG issued a press statement on behalf of Britnell on 16 May 2011 stating
"The article in The Observer attributes quotes to me that do not properly reflect discussions held at a private conference last October. Nor was I given the opportunity to respond ahead of publication. I worked in the NHS for twenty years and now work alongside it. I have always been a passionate advocate of the NHS and believe that it has a great future. Like many other countries throughout the world, the pressure facing healthcare funding and provision are enormous. If the NHS is to change and modernise the public, private and voluntary sectors will all need to play their part."
The Future Forum. Professor Steve Field, a GP who chaired the forum, said many of the fears the public and medical profession had about the Health and Social Care Bill had been "justified" as it contained "insufficient safeguards" against private companies exploiting the NHS.
EU involvement in the Health & Social Care Act
I have been asked to provide further information on the Blue Badge scheme and I am happy to provide the following link which provides lots of information.
Blue-Badge-scheme-local-authority-guidance.pdf
460K View Download
Also, our Chairman Syd Ashby informs me that Older people and the Disabled with bus passes will be able to gain a third of train travel without a senior railcard; for a twelve month experimental period. The scheme is being rolled out by the First Great Western and will apply to standard off-peak train fares on journeys between Worcester and Swindon via Stroud and between Westbury and Weymouth. The Department of Transport will be assessing the trial to determine if a more wider and permanent application might be merited. Thanks.
Please e-mail if you require further information and watch this space.
A recent article purports that millions of older people in the UK due to retire over the next few years will face a double hit that is likely to see over 11 billion wiped off their retirement funds.
This figure takes in the impact on pensioners of tax and benefit changes, including the freezing of age-related allowances from April 2013 and the reduction in winter fuel payments, alongside rock bottom interest rates and three rounds of quantitative easing.
Compiled for Saga by experts from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the report concludes that the changes will cost pensioners an average of £1,318 each by 5 April 2014.
Dr Ros Altmann, director general of Saga, says: "Pensioners are being hammered. They didn't cause our economic meltdown yet they have been paying a heavy price as we try to fix it and they face an even tighter financial squeeze in future.
"Those retiring now are the biggest losers in life's pension lottery as tax and benefit changes will compound the misery wreaked by paltry savings rates and overshooting inflation."
The report shows that the 40% of single pensioners who sit in the lowest income bracket are forced to get by on just £8,034 a year with couples living on just £13,883. The average income of the next 40% of pensioners is £13,104 for single households and £23,998 for couples, while even the wealthiest 20% typically only receive £20,332, well below the average national income.
Altmann adds: "Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of pounds into financial markets and bank balance sheets it would have been much better sending cheques to everyone to encourage them to spend.
"If older generations felt confident again, they would splash out and boost economic growth. If we keep hammering them, these grey pounds will be wasted."
Alliance Trust Research Centre's study of inflation rates affecting different age groups shows that over the past two years, pensioners have suffered a higher rate of inflation.
A fightback by the growing pensioners movement is required.
Ivor Timson
At a recent Executive Committee our Secretary and Ron Dorman were asked to write an article on surveillance, here is the contribution from Ron our Press and Publicity Officer. Please feel free to join in this important debate.
Surveillance by the state of people considered “dangerous” is nothing new but was confined to comparatively few people in the past. However, with the explosion of technology in the last two decades the situation has changed dramatically. We now have such things as the internet, mobile phones and satellites. These inventions have brought about massive changes in communications and the way we live. But not all of this has been for our good.
The new techniques in communications has also made it possible to check what everyone does and says and providing a scapegoat can be found for doing so it will be done. Hence the “reason” for making Muslims the “baddies” - this not to say some Muslims may not be baddies just as in every other walk of life.
However, this new kind surveillance started before the “Muslim problem” way back in 1985 with the Schengen agreement signed by Germany, France and the Benelux countries and aimed at mutual recognition of visas between these countries and strengthened police co-operation. Schengen has since been integrated into the EU Amsterdam Treaty.
Also, a system called Echelon has been developed, designed as much for non-military use as military – for governments, organisations and businesses throughout the world - with Britain as one of the main participants. Thomas Mathiesen, Professor of law, University of Oslo in “On Globalisation of Control: Towards an Integrated Surveillance System in Europe” quotes Steve Wight as follows: “The Echelon system works by indiscriminately intercepting very large quantities of communications and then siphoning out what is valuable using artificial intelligence aides like Menox to find key words. Five nations share the results.... Each of the five centres supply “dictionaries” to the other four of key words. Phrases, people and places to “tag” and the tagged intercept is forwarded straight to the requesting country...”
Some people may say “If you have nothing to hide why worry?” The fact is all of us have private lives we wish no-one else to know about. But more importantly what may considered innocent today by the state may be considered a threat tomorrow – like a mass movement to get rid of our reactionary Con-Dem government – and should be opposed.
The late Ron Dorman 21-05
I have received several responses to this article and after gaining permission from the senders, I intend to publish, Thanks. Ivor Timson
The BBC have allowed me to print the following very up to date information on the question of pensions.
Please visit the BBC site for full information.
The government is exploring new types of pension schemes that would give more security to retiring workers.
Minister for Pensions, Steve Webb, says the government is looking at several options that might become, what he terms, a "defined ambition plan".
The idea is to replace final-salary pensions, which have become too expensive for many private firms.
The minister has been speaking to companies about creating a new framework for pension schemes.
Nick Clegg has called for the NHS to be 'broken up' and said the Lib Dems should consider replacing it with a European-style insurance system.
In a little-noticed interview before he took over as leader, he said the party should consider a social insurance system to replace the present tax-funded Health Service. The comments raise huge question-marks over the Lib Dems' commitment to such a cherished institution as the NHS. Is this true? It certainly has not been denied.
As a lifetime internationalist, Ron I will of course publish this and offer details of the following meeting:
NSSN Meeting 17 Nov MIDLANDS NSSN Conference Unite offices, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY. 12.00-16.00. Speakers include Joe Simpson, Assistant General Secretary POA, Lee Barron CWU Midlands regional secretary, Kevin Greenway PCS national executive Dave Auger UNISON Nick Harrison FBU & workshops!
Do look after yourself, but I am in catch up mode at present, but you know all my promises will be kept.
Solidarity with the workers of Europe. The Networks sounds good. Ivor Timson
John Manning- Bedworth
Snippets of information.
A new report from the NPC is being launched at the beginning of September to highlight the importance and value of universal pensioner benefits, such as concessionary bus travel and the winter fuel allowance.
The report, entitled Sir Alan Sugar and the missing bus pass, challenges a number of recent claims from politicians and think-tanks that older people’s benefits should not be given to those who are better-off.
The NPC believes this is being used as a smokescreen to introduce wide-spread means-testing which would withdraw support from any-one not on Pension Credit with an annual income of little more than £7500.
The report also highlights that the revenue collected by the state from older people, either directly financial through a range of taxes or through costs that older people bear that would other-wise be paid by the state, adds up to a staggering £175.8bn every year, compared to total expenditure on older people through pensions, welfare payments and health care of £136.2bn.
The overall, annual net contribution by older people to the economy is therefore almost £40bn – and is estimated to rise to almost £75bn by 2030.
Most importantly, this is more than enough to pay for the £8bn worth of age-related benefits that are now being questioned.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Many of these universal benefits have been introduced over time because successive governments were reluctant to improve the state pension system.”
“Having one of the least adequate pensions in Europe has almost forced governments to provide additional support to its older population, or witness the inevitable rise in pensioner hardship.”
In a further move against universal benefits, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary is said to be planning to introduce a temperature test for the winter fuel allowance which may mean that pensioners in southern England could lose out if temperatures go above a certain level.
The NPC is urging all pensioners to support a rally and lobby of Parliament on 31 October 2012. Please join us . Ivor Timson
The NPC’s latest Campaign! Bulletin is now available. The October edition includes Nick Clegg’s attack on universal pensioner benefits such as the winter fuel allowance and free bus travel, the criticism of the Treasury by former care minister Paul Burstow, the ongoing campaign to promote the NPC’s Dignity Code and the launch of the new Generations United campaign. You can download a copy of the Campaign! Bulletin here.
Save Our Buses
The NPC is a member of the Campaign for Better Transport, which is currently running a Save Our Buses campaign to make the case for buses to government and to support bus users to defend their local services.
You can find out how to get involved by visiting their website at www.bettertransport.org.uk.
Just received this latest response from 38 degrees on the NHS.
Dear Ivor,
It’s just been revealed that two big private healthcare companies are plotting to rig the future of our NHS. On Tuesday, Capita and United Healthcare are planning to schmooze leading GPs at a conference in London - the GPs now in charge of deciding the future of local health services. [1]
The big private companies have got the money to gain influence and access. But together, we can use people power to level the playing field - and invite doctors to our own patient-sponsored event down the road, just after their conference finishes.
Capita and United Healthcare hope GPs will stick around for free drinks on them. Instead we can tempt them over to a very different kind of event! They’ll have the chance to hear from experts explaining the role patients can play in helping to protect our NHS - and why they need to listen to us, not just big business.
Can you chip in £1 to become an event sponsor? We'll put up the names of all the sponsors as GPs arrive at the event. The contrast with the big money corporate sponsorship over the road couldn't be clearer. And the GPs will see just how many of us are ready to keep up the pressure to safeguard our health service.
Are you in? Click here now to donate £1 and add your name to the list of sponsors:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
Tuesday's event is a prime opportunity to start a new conversation with GP leaders. Lansley’s NHS changes mean crucial decisions about the future of our NHS are now in these GPs' hands. [2] We can show them that 38 Degrees members will be watching their decisions carefully - and that we plan to do all we can to protect our NHS.
We don’t have a lot of time to pull this together. But that’s the power of our movement. 38 Degrees members can move quickly when we get a chance like this to stand up for our NHS. Already we’ve got a venue, and a panel of healthcare professionals and experts lined up to speak. Zoe Williams, a Guardian columnist who has written about our NHS campaign has agreed to chair. Now it just needs you to make it happen.
A few weeks ago 38 Degrees members voted overwhelmingly to carry on campaigning to save our NHS. This is our chance to get down to business.
Please help show the GPs that the future of the NHS doesn't have to be all about private companies and big money sponsorship - chip in £1 now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
Thanks so much for helping make this happen,
David, Becky, James, Hannah, David, Cian, Marie and the 38 Degrees team
Dear Ivor,
TAKE ACTION: Help us lobby the Lords over limits on hospital income from private patients.
The government's controversial Health and Social Care Bill is now in the last stages of its passage through the House of Lords. Over the next weeks, Peers will be debating amendments to the Bill before voting on it. It's our last real opportunity to get significant changes made to measures, which could break up and sell off parts of our health service.
One crucial area of concern is the proposal to lift the Private Patient Income Cap. This would allow NHS hospitals to switch priorities and take on a much greater proportion of private paying patients – up to 49% of their income.
This change threatens to push NHS patients to the back of the queue for treatment as hospitals under pressure to make savings try to boost private income. Waiting lists could soar as those able to pay to jump the queue have greater opportunity to do so.
The Lords are due to debate three amendments to the Bill, which seek to stop the raising of the Private Patient Income Cap. Please help us ask Peers to vote for all three amendments.
Please help lobby against the raising of the cap on private work in the NHS by writing to a member of the House of Lords, asking them to support amendments 218A, 220A and 220C to the Health and Social Care Bill.
Peers don't have a direct constituency relationship to help you find the right person to write to, but we can help get around this, using this tool to let you "adopt a Peer". We'll match you at random to a member of the House of Lords and help you to contact them, either directly with a posted letter, or by email.
TAKE ACTION: Lobby a Peer over limits on hospital income from private patients. Letter from Going to Work.
Axe looming over health service jobs “Significant” numbers of health staff in the Black Country will lose their jobs next year under controversial reforms.
Primary Care Trusts are being scrapped from April with many roles transferred to councils, with warnings that “significantly fewer staff” would be employed.
The four trusts in the Black Country have been inviting people to apply for a “mututally agreed resignation scheme” – a form of voluntary redundancy.
So far 230 have done so – a fifth of the 1,100 staff at the Black Country Cluster of Primary Care Trusts.
Consortia of GP practices will take on responsibility for commissioning most health services from PCTs, including some of the staff, while councils will take on PCTs’ public health functions and be charged with leading the integration of health and social care locally.
Dudley Council expects to take on around 80 staff with similar numbers likely to be taken on by Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall.
The consortia, called clinical commissioning groups, have either recruited all their staff or are in the final units. Michelle Beddow, spokesman for the Black Country cluster of PCTs, said: “Staff who have been aligned to the Commissioning Support Unit are currently being consulted on draft structures and it is expected that recruitment will begin in October.
“Discussions are continuing with the local authorities on the transfer of public health staff and services.
“Similarly the National Commissioning Board are also still making decisions on the structures for local offices. It is expected that the new organisations will employee significantly fewer staff than the PCT’s currently employee.
However, until the structures are all in place it is impossible to say how many staff that will be.”
She said applications for the mutually agreed resignation scheme had now closed and added: “We recognise that the current situation is a difficult one for our staff and every effort is being made to ensure they are offered as much support as possible during this period.”
Please note jobs and services are at risk. Ivor Timson 2012.
More letters for the web site.- 2012
Gobbledegook by Marin Folan- North Warwickshire
The Government recently offered i’ts “final offer” on pensions. Danny Alexander stated that “the new pensions will be substantially more affordable to alternative providers. By offering transferred staff the right to remain members of the public service scheme, we are no longer requiring private, voluntary and social enterprise providers to take on the risks of defined benefit that deter many from bidding for contracts in the first place.”
Similarly, in his first letter of remit to the new chairman of the School Teachers Review Board, Michael Gove asked them to report on “how the pay framework for teachers should best be made more market facing in local areas,” with reference to the private sector.
It is not just education that is under attack. The same process is being carried out across all public services, as the recent passage of the high-profile NHS Bill shows. Against this background interest rates remain at 0.5 per cent which we all subsidise at the expense of savers and others.
We face not just savage austerity cuts, but a politically motivated attempt to completely restructure the British economy and effectively abolish the public sector. The economists continue to re- write their own history and talk gobbledegook. 09-04-2012
Win the final battle to save the NHS
The final battle to save the NHS is at hand. If we seize it we can win, but it will take everyone of us who support the Nye Bevan type of NHS to do so.
All the medical professions, including those of the doctors it is supposed to benefit, are opposed to the Lansley's Con-Dem Health & Social Care Bill, as is Unison and other unions and the vast majority of people in England. Despite this the government still intend to push ahead if we let them; but Lansley's job is now in question and although Cameron says he supports him when a Downing Street source says he should be taken out and shot, the governrnent is clearly split.
Clearly pensioners, their families and friends can help tip the balance, but to do so means they have to make their voices heard NOW. Here are a few suggestions as to what they can DO.
1) Contact their MP whichever political party he/she belongs to and demand the government carries out its promise not to introduce top down changes in the NHS.
2) Put posters in house/flat window stating "Kill the NHS Bill".
3) Ask any organisations they are in to call on Cameron to withdraw the Health & Social care Bill.
4) Take part, if possible, in any local/national demonstrations against the Bill.
Note. Nearly all, if not all, pensioners are dependent on the NHS, so in self interest alone to help save it. Lansley wants 49% of beds allocated to private patients, which mean NHS queues will lengthen and less resources will be available for NHS patients who cannot pay.
John Ashby.
Please also see the article on benefits. Please click the relevant link: 6 Feb 2012 pensioners.doc
24K View Download
Benefit Scroungers?
Not everyone on benefits is a scrounger. Nor does everyone get £26,000 per year, despite what the recent 'cap em' debate's made some believe. Of course, some abuse the system, and the system abuses others by failing to make work pay. Yet the current rhetoric risks putting those in need off getting what they're entitled to, eg, 1million pensioners don't claim pension credit, even though they've often paid into the system for all their working lives.
John Starkey- North Warwickshire.
Do you think the Government treats you fairly?
Is it making you work longer for a pension that will make you worse off? Women are treated as secondary citizens. Cameron, Clegg, Osborne seem to have no respect for females at all. We need you whatever your age to stand and fight for better rights for all women. Come and join the National Pensioners Convention, see if there is a local branch in your area or join us at Birmingham. Lets all stand together and fight this Government and the policies that are affecting us all.
Pat O' Dowd NPC- Wolverhampton.
Please also see details of our “Women in Retirement” conference on our blog/news page.
Our Future.
It is a truism that every age is an age of change. But what I hope we can do in this short letter is to capture the speed and the quality of the revolutions we’ve all experienced; in our communities, in the world, and between the generations. In my view of the wider world, these are the things that matter, and it’s right that we can try to trace some of the most important changes that have turned the post-war country that welcomed us to our unfettered and stalling globalized world, which seems in so many ways to be a different place and clearly now in trouble. But will all this conflict, price rises, instability bring us all together as it did for many after the last world war? Will it bring about new and progressive changes? I rather think it is back to the drawing board, to change things ourselves, if our Grandchildren have any hope for the future. Lets not just contemplate change, but transform our communities into a new truism.
E Williams- Coventry
Women's pay and employment update: a public/private sector comparison
Report for Women's Conference 2012
A TUC report to the Women's Conference 2012 highlights the employment challenges currently facing women.
The report shows that with many thousands of skilled professional women in the public sector set to lose their jobs, the concentration of female private sector employment in low-skilled and poorly paid sectors poses a big challenge to their pay and career prospects.
Despite decades of progress, women's employment in the private sector remains concentrated around the five 'cs' - caring, catering, cashiering, cleaning and clerical work. As a result the gender pay gap for women working full time is twice as high in the private sector (18.4 per cent) as it is in the public sector (9.2 per cent).
Download Women's Conference Report 2012 [PDF]
Fair Pensions For- All Day of Action.
A number of trade unions took strike action in November, in defence of their occupational pensions. The NPC believed this was an opportunity to link up the campaign to include the state pension, as well as occupational pensions. With this in mind, the NPC gave its support to the day of action and encouraged supporters to attend events that are taking place across the country. We tried to show that this was a campaign for all pensions – state, private and public. The day of action was hugely successful. See our many photographs on this page and our homepage.
In a further development on pensions, an article in the Times recently - 18th November 2011, suggests that the uprating figure for pensions and benefits might be the average over six months and 4.5 % rather than the September CPI figure of 5.2%. It is therefore vital that we respond and send an email - and encourage others to do so - stating our opposition to such a move. Thank you for the considerable support, which I am convinced changed the Government policy on this issue for 2012-13.
It seems that this will not 'at present' be adopted and I feel sure our e-mails, lobbies and protests helped. Campaigns can be very affective and thanks to everyone who responded. Apparently there was a huge response.12- 02- 2012.
Please view and consider raising the motion sent by David Kippest-Unison on the important topic of the National Care Service. Details on our news-campaign page.
Ivor Timson
And now for another letter from one of our active and respected members.
Time to give pensioners fairness on allowances.
Regarding celebrities and millionaires of pensionable age, that are giving their winter fuel allowance to a fund to help those less fortunate than themselves. I have no qualms about all that.
It is their money and they can do whatever they like with it. But why do they make a song and dance about it? I f they want to give it to a charity of their choice, give it to a charity, full stop.
In fact,this country has become a charity shop and a profitable haven for all the world. This Government is giving another 20 million to foreign aid, some deserved, but some to countries that are better off than we are.
The pensioners of this country have had their winter fuel allowance cut by £50- £100, and we all know the cost of fuel has risen, yet we are the ones who have the reductions at the time we need it most. Perhaps those celebrities and millionaires could join us in our campaign for an above the poverty- line pension of £178 per week.
They can do this by supporting the National Pensioners Convention which vigorously campaigns on such issues. It is about time we looked after those that have given so much throughout their lives.
On that note as a member of the Wolverhampton branch, I wish everyone a warm, happy and productive 2012.
Mrs P A Jordon, Press Officer, Wolverhampton Branch.
Received the following article from Ron Dorman, which I am pleased to include.
NHS: Time to ACT!
Crunch time for the NHS: in the next few weeks the NHS as we know it will either be destroyed by the vicious Con-Dem Government’s Health & Social Care Bill or the bill will be serious modified or killed off. Kill it!
Every single health organisation from the BMA to the Royal College of Nursing and health unions such as Unison are totally opposed to the health bill. Even the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, Tory, Stephen Dorrell- is against it. Why such opposition?
Because the Bill seeks to:
Unfortunately, Ed Miliband , “Leader” of the Labour Party, is not giving any real lead in opposing Lansley’s Health Bill and neither are some trade union leaders who say they are opposed to it. So, what to do? Here are a few suggestions,
Please also consider writing letters to the press both locally and nationally.
The late Ron Dorman.
Just a few snippets of imformation from Walsall following a demonstration against Councillors allowances being raised while jobs and care services are being slashed.
The campaign was successful and the allowances frozen, but the disgraceful cuts continue.
Peter Last- WMPC Vice Chair
Cathy Come Home
After including the details on our news-campaigns page about a housing campaign, I felt compelled to add the following as my first contribution in the form of a short 'article'.
As an aside from the campaign, it is interesting to me that Ken Loach is a speaker at some of the planned meetings. Apart from being born in my hometown, I was given the 'Ken Loach at the BBC' Video box set for Christmas. This contains Cathy Come Home, which in 1966 was watched by twelve million people- a quarter of the population at the time; and exposed the poverty and homelessness of the day. Any return to this situation should be vociferously campaigned against. The film provoked major public and social discussion and challenged the accepted practice and conventions of television drama. I remember it very well and it revives memories of my early days in trying to influence and change society and the community I lived in.
Ivor Timson - North Warwickshire and WMPC Webmaster.
Ladies of the Midlands. 24-02-2012
A contribution from Pat O' Dowd- Chair- Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention.
The National Pensioners Convention would like to take up the challenge for the saving of the NHS. Be like June Hautot and let them know where to shove their NHS reforms. The Women can do this! Pat O' Dowd.
Chris Smith our Secretary has asked for the following to be included:
The item below "Incomes Tracker" which is shown via the link allows individuals to see the real reduction in their incomes. This can also be applied to the yearly amount an individual pensioner receives. Introducing the Incomes Tracker – how might you have lost out?
You can use our incomes tracker to see what you might be earning today, had wages for your job had the same economic share as they had in the 70s.
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-20554-f0.cfm Our thanks to the TUC.
The March Started at Transport House, Transport & General Workers Offices, Broad Street, Birmingham.
Our latest campaign in 2014 is against the Centro public transport cuts. Here is a copy of our latest Press release, which includes our next campaign stop. Join us.
The pledge, by David Cameron, on the future of our state pensions and the triple lock mechanism, is of course welcome. Our suspicion is that this is a cynical attempt to win the support and votes of pensioners.
We are also concerned about the intentions of George Osborne of further savage cuts and any plans for Universal Benefits.
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention are seeking assurances from all the major parties, that our bus passes, winter Fuel allowances, TV licences and indeed free prescriptions will be secure, if our regions pensioners choose to vote for them.
We in the West Midlands Pensioners Convention, will campaign vociferously to protect our Pensioner Universal entitlements.
Our immediate concern is to oppose any CENTRO Cuts to Pensioners free travel on our regions rail and tram service, and we urge CENTRO not to cease funding or to reduce our vital Ring and Ride Service.
Our Campaigns continue and our next meeting is on the 30th January 2014 at Transport House, Broad Street, Birmingham- 11-0am to 1-0pm. Please join us at least for a coffee or tea. Tha
Thanks for the support. All future letters, articles and discussion can be viewed on this page. Please consider writing a short article on matters of interest.Thanks.
We welcome articles and contributions from all Pensioner groups in the Midlands.
I have now included below the NPC's initial analysis of social care funding which you can now download/print.
NPC Social Care Briefing
Please find attached the NPC’s analysis of the recent announcement on social care funding.
Neil Duncan-Jordan
National Officer
NPC
Social Care funding reform briefing paper February 2014.doc
111K View Download
The following reform does nothing to improve the quality of services currently on offer. It was announced a rise from £23,250 to £123,000 in the amount of assets people have before having to contribute to the costs of nursing care. Please see our full updated analysis.
The cap figure is so much higher than that recommended by a 2011 review, which said it should be set at £35,000. Perhaps yet another hit on the least better off in today's society.
Our National Pensioners Convention released the following press release:
Social care plan lacks sufficient funding to make a difference to people’s lives.
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has described the government’s plan to reform social care funding as “about as credible as a Findus Lasagne” because it lacks sufficient funding to tackle the problems that pensioners face.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “The social care system needs urgent and radical reform, but these proposals simply tinker at the edges. The current system is dogged by means-testing, a postcode lottery of charges, a rationing of services and poor standards and nothing in the plan looks like it will address any of these concerns. Setting a lifetime cap on care costs of £75,000 will help just 10% of those needing care, whilst the majority will be left to struggle on with a third rate service. The government needs to be much braver and bolder if it it really going to sort out the problems – otherwise in a few years time we’ll be back again having another look at the issue. Using inheritance tax or money saved from the state pension system simply won’t raise enough money to bring about the change that’s needed. It’s time we merged health and social care and had a truly integrated system which was funded through general taxation – like the NHS – rather than put all the responsibility on pensioners and their families. Getting older and needing care isn’t a lifestyle choice – so why should the cost of care not be shared by society as a whole? Frankly, the plan as it stands is about as a credible as a Findus Lasagne.”
Please also consider signing a anti-cuts petition. Click below for full details.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40451
Adult and Communities service review - Neither a Green Paper nor a Dialogue
The problem confronting Sir Albert Bore is how to cut even deeper into social care services where he knows that pound by pound he will hurt the most vulnerable in our city. An existing £46m is being cut annually from the adult social care budget and from 2014-15 Bore wants to increase this total to £75m.
The Labour leadership has embarked on a series of fundamental service reviews across all the services run by the Council and is publishing the results as a series of Green Papers. The Adult and Communities Green Paper has now been published and the Council has embarked on a series of ‘Dialogue’ meetings with service users and carers over the summer to sound out these latest cut proposals.
Anyone who has read a Government Green paper will know it is a substantial document with detailed discussion of policy options. Apparently Sir Albert doesn’t want us to be bogged down in details, the specific proposals involving £29m worth of cuts consist of just half a page of a very short seven page paper.
Members of the pubic attending the dialogue meeting struggle to understand what is being proposed by the council, and most importantly what it means for the services they use and how it might affect their lives. But what Council officers have been told by service users at these meetings is how much the existing cuts are already affecting peoples lives.
Carers, often elderly, have repeatedly complained about the increasing difficulty of accessing short breaks for the adult children they care for. Contacting social workers and the time involved in waiting for assessments and for care services was again a familiar concern. One carer complained about finding a home carer employed by a private home care company contracted by the Council asleep on his mothers sofa.
The proposals themselves involve yet more privatisation of care services where the Council will no longer directly provide any services and move to that of a commissioning authority only. Birmingham has closed and outsourced all its residential homes for adults in recent years, it is now proposing to ‘externalise’ its remaining specialist care services and to stop providing all respite care.
The Green Paper refers to a ‘demand management’ approach where it identifies the most expensive groups of service users requiring the most expensive care, referred to in the Green Paper as ‘high cost, high end care’, with the objective of reducing the costs of care for that group.
The Green Paper and ‘Dialogue’ meetings are an attempt to prepare the public for ‘bad news’ ahead of setting the Council budget for 2014-15, which will begin in earnest in the Autumn. The Green Papers are to be discussed at Council Ward Committees in August and September and it is important that people attend and raise their concerns.
Sir Albert Bore has told us that his raison d'être is ‘protecting the most vulnerable’, what he needs to told loud and clear and by as many people as possible that the cuts to adult social care are hurting not protecting the most vulnerable in Birmingham!
Jolyon Jones
I promised a little humour, so here we have a little for starters. Sent in by Catherine and Roy.
The elders of a church in the Bible belt of southern America decided that the outside of their wooden church was looking decidedly shabby and that it needed a new coat of paint.
One of the members of the church, Amos Filch who was a painter, bid for the job and won.
The scaffolding was duly erected and he commenced work.
As he was near to finishing the job he chuckled to himself that they would never know that he had thinned down the paint so that he only needed 20 gallons instead of the 30 gallons he was charging for and so making a tidy profit.
Just then the sky turned black and the heavens opened up and washed away most of the paint; a bolt of lightning hit the church spire causing Amos to fall off the scaffolding onto the grass below.
The clouds parted and a shaft of light shone on Amos. Being a religious man Amos knew he was in trouble with the Lord so scrambling to his knees he prayed, “I'm sorry oh Lord, please forgive me, what can I do to make amends”?
A voice boomed from the heavens,
“ REPAINT, REPAINT AND THIN NO MORE ''.
There is a discussion paper on making an alternative response to the Adult and Communities Green Paper here:
http://communitiesagainstthecuts.com/2013/08/15/the-future-of-care-services-in-the-city-time-for-a-real-debate/
Over fifty thousand marched and joined the rally at Manchester on the 29th September 2013 in support of the NHS. Many of the Pensioners Convention members were in attendance, in what the Police described as the largest march seen in Manchester.
The demonstration aimed to highlight the impact of government policies on jobs and spending across the health service, as well as the “rapid selloff” of the most lucrative parts of the NHS to private healthcare companies.
They were in Manchester to protest against the privatisation of the NHS by the Tories and their Lib Dem partners. The growing mood of resistance was fully in evidence. The march wound through the streets for three hours. At its head was public-service Union Unison, a contingent which was itself thousands strong. A huge display of strength was shown by people of all ages. Following the march union leaders were due to address a rally alongside appearances by musicians.
Still lot’s more to say on spying including the news that British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden. And as I type, the UK is trying to block minor reforms of protection by the European Union. Again very frightening, but some organisations are working on solving the problem in our interests. More soon. Ivor Timson
The National Health Service: something we we all depend upon to some degree (even if we hold “private” health insurance), could soon be just a fond memory as we are forced to watch it being dismantled and its place being taken by a profit-based health market, where only money talks.
This will surely impact upon us all and impact upon services for the older person and the wider communities.The Government’s new plans for the NHS could spell the end of our precious and pioneering ‘free for all at the point of need’ principled service. It could be turned into a cherry-picking, maximised-profit-driven free-for-all in the very worst sense.
The Clinical Commissioning Groups will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal. They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts this year (2013). The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, Community Services, and Continuing Healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.The big move to privatisation could well be the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider.Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. We need to have a say as the CCG’s are meeting now.
It is not too late. If you want a National Health Service that is meaningful, then be prepared to do it service and to be of service to it: it’s mutually beneficial. Ivor Timson- North Warwickshire
2013 International Women’s Day Event
Asbestos and Women’s Health
An Ongoing Health and Safety Disaster
The West Midlands Hazards Trust and Asbestos Support West Midlands invited all women to this
International Women’s Day event. Asbestos related diseases have traditionally been associated
with men, the truth is asbestos and other occupational health dangers are having a disastrous
affect on women’s health. The day examined the problem and set out what could be done. It
featured expert presentations and gave plenty of opportunities for debate and discussion.
Speakers included:
Laurie Kazan-Allen, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat
Hilda Palmer, Hazards Campaign and Families Against Corporate Killers.
Plus a rare showing of the film Alice a Fight for Life.
The event was supported and sponsored by::
Birmingham Unison, UCATT Midlands Region, PCS Midlands and the Midlands TUC
Sent in by Yvonne Washbourne.
Pensioner group slams Lord’s idea of “National Service for the over 60s”
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has criticised a suggestion from Lord Bichard that those who have just retired should be forced to undertake voluntary work or risk losing part of their pension.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “This amounts to little more than National Service for the over 60s and is absolutely outrageous. Those who have paid their national insurance contributions for 30 or more years are entitled to receive their state pension and there should be no attempt to put further barriers in their way. We already have one of the lowest state pensions in Europe and one in five older people in Britain live below the poverty line. This suggestion from Lord Bichard would only make that situation worse. But the real scandal is that he hasn’t understood the value that pensioners already bring to our society – contributing £40bn extra every year in unpaid volunteering and caring. Without the army of older volunteers many parts of our society would begin to crumble. Lord Bichard’s comments are also extremely divisive – trying to pitch younger people against older people, when the truth is that the real division in our society is between rich and poor. Frankly, Lord Bichard needs to think twice before making such silly and ill-informed remarks”. Press Release.
New article just received.
Our NHS is slipping over the abyss into the jaws of the profit greedy profiteers, with just two months to go before the biggest re-organisation in the history of the NHS. The adverse implications, for senior citizens, of all these changes is very worrying. We face being discriminated against and excluded from a whole range of medical treatments; with only the better off senior citizens able to pay for and access an increasingly privatised Health Service.
A good indicator of these concerns, are reports of falling staff levels and real problems with the provision of quality patient care, the Health and Social Care Act will do nothing to address these issues. This as been highlighted, again by the BBC Inside Out investigation which detailed that of 12,000 reported incidents of inadequate patient care; 40% were due to bedsores!
Having worked in this area myself, I know at first hand, that the only way to prevent and effectively deal with bedsores is through effective monitoring and re-positioning of patients at regular intervals throughout the day /night. This is particularly the case where patients are unable to move themselves whilst in a bed or chair, which is often the case where someone is obese, is hospitalised as the result of a fall, severe arthritis and many other conditions that are often associated with those of us who are increasing in years.
In the West Midlands we already have the highest number of reported incidents of poor prevention and treatment of bedsores throughout the NHS. With Clinical Commissioning Groups operating to budgets set by NHS Commissioning Boards dominated by Private Sector Consultancies; there is very little likelihood that the necessary staffing levels will be funded to deal with issues such as bedsores.The issue of patient bedsores is just one more reason for fighting to keep our NHS Public. As the Regional Secretary said in his new year address 'maybe pensioners need to return from their self-imposed retreat into exclusive retirement'
Get involved in the campaigns to Save Our NHS- below are some organisations we can support.
www.38degrees.org.uk
http://www.saveournhs-wm.org.uk/
http://www.keepournhspublic.com
http://www.nationalhealthaction.org.uk/
Brian Allbutt- Birmingham.
Must include the following letter due to the cold weather conditions we are currently experiencing.
Dear Ivor,
Tonight, people without a home may need to sleep out in the freezing cold, desperately trying to keep warm on the street. It’ll be below zero – and that might mean not waking up in the morning. [1]
When it gets this cold, local councils are meant to activate an emergency plan to find people sleeping rough and get them into the warm. [2] Some councils are moving fast to save lives. But others may be dragging their heels instead of working quickly to find the people in danger.
Could you send a quick email to your local councillors to ask what they’re doing to help get people off the streets tonight?
It’s incredibly easy to email your councillors using the 38 Degrees website.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
If your local councillors aren’t doing much, lots of emails from 38 Degrees members asking about the emergency plan could be just the kick they need.
As the snow falls, the best councils have staff on the phone getting different departments to work together. They’re using camp beds and community centres to help people with nowhere to go keep out of the deadly cold. [3]
If lots of us send e-mails today, we can show our councillors we want them to act fast, and let them know it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to save lives.
We’ll find your local councillors from your postcode, and there’s a template e-mail you can use if you’re not sure what to say. It only takes 2 mins and it could make all the difference in your local area:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Together, 38 Degrees members use people power to change things for the better. Whether it’s banding together to protect the NHS we love or standing up to the power and greed of Rupert Murdoch, we change things in the real world by signing petitions, sending e-mails and meeting up in our local communities.
Right now, we have a chance to use people power to get people off the freezing, dark streets tonight. Can you send a quick e-mail?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Thanks for all the good that you do,
Marie, Hannah, Belinda and the 38 Degrees team
Our recession/slump I know is know having an affect on our members- but please remember the plight of many in other countries-the following amplifies.
Greece’s austerity policies could create a crisis of insolvency within the country, undermining the very reason they were implemented – to repay the country’s debt - says the country’s biggest labour confederation.
“I am afraid that we may see a phenomenon that could cause a social explosion,” says Savvas Robolis, scientific director for the Labour Institute of the General Confederation of Workers in Greece (GSEE), the private sector’s confederation of unions. “Right now many people can’t pay their taxes. That’s why state revenue fell 300 million euros ($395m) short of January targets. If that continues, I don’t know if the state will be able to meet its obligations by June or July. It may not have the cash to pay salaries and pensions.”
The state heavily subsidises approximately 1.3 million pensions, according to finance ministry data. It also pays the salaries of almost 800,000 state employees, roughly a quarter of all people still working in the country. Failure to pay those pensions and salaries in full would greatly impact on the state’s own tax revenues, and therefore its ability to maintain payments to international creditors.
Pensions and salaries have already been cut by 40 percent during the crisis, says GSEE’s Labour Institute. A new wave of austerity being implemented this year will raise those cuts to an estimated 50 percent. At the same time, Greeks have faced higher sales tax at the supermarket, higher fuel tax, a new property tax and a ‘solidarity fee’ of 1-3 percent on their salaries.
The squeeze is causing chronic pain. “I don’t see why a person should pay tax to hold onto a home they’ve already spent a lifetime paying off,” says Argyro Syriga, an unemployed mother of one. She inherited a house from her father, but now fears she may lose it. Her power was cut off six weeks ago because she could pay neither the electricity bill nor the property tax that rides on it.
"These measures are unbalanced, unfair and chiefly ineffective. They haven’t brought prospects to the economy, but they have produced plenty of drama in society."
- Vangelis Moutafis, union official
Sent in by the late Ron Dorman our Press and Publicity Officer.
Back to the UK and our finances.
Fundraising is of paramount importance to our organisation, so please send us donations and consider the following.
www.easyfundraising.org.uk
You will need to register your own account and then nominate West Midlands Pensioners' Convention each time you make a purchase online. There are more than 2000 participating retailers including Amazon, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis. Each retailer will donate between 1% and 9% of the purchase price. David our Treasurer will announce further details at the next Regional Council meetings.
Received the following letter regarding the TUC March.
Dear Ivor
Sixteen of Walsall Pensioners marched in London for a Future that Works,this
was particularly successful for us as we were not only interviewed by the Daily
Mirror but had quite an article including pictures in Mondays edition.
This can only highlight the Pensioner movement in the Midlands.
PETER LAST
Copy of the latest news-e-mail.
Dear all,
At the forefront of the Government’s plans to privatise the NHS will be local Clinical Commissioning Groups comprised of groups of GP’s. There are currently three proposed CCG’s in Birmingham, Birmingham and Solihull Cluster- Cross City, Birmingham South and Central, and Sandwell and West Birmingham. There is a CCG for Coventry and Rugby, one for Walsall, Wolverhampton, North Warwickshire and a CCG for Solihull which even has it's own website www.solihullccg.nhs.uk There are others and most are offering differing forms of consultation, which are either proposed or taking place. Please telephone for further information. The full list can be found on the following website: http://www.westmidlands.nhs.uk/WhatWeDo/ClinicalCommissioningGroups.aspx
The CCG’s will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal.They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts.The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, community services, and continuing healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.
The big move to privatisation is the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider’.
Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. Perhaps we could make contact through our branches and affiliated bodies to influence policy decisions and avoid privatisation?
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention really could make a difference and help preserve our NHS, but we must act quickly.
We have the knowledge, experience and the negotiating skills.
Meetings need to be convened to involve local people in campaigning to pressure their CCG’s to make changes to their constitutions. In Birmingham and the West Midlands- plus area, campaign groups need to meet and to make contact with their appropriate local CCG. A first step could be to obtain copies of their draft constitutions.They have a legal responsibility to consult. In some areas we may need to combine with other groups.
An important priority for the campaign as outlined to our Regional Council, is to explain to the public what is happening to their NHS and to get them involved in discussions with their CCG. Please discuss these issues in the relevant branches.
Perhaps we can trigger a debate at our important meeting on Saturday 10th November-1-15pm onwards at Carr's Lane Church Centre. Birmingham. Who Owns the NHS? Full details can be found on our website. Hope this e-mail helps.
Further details also included on the CENTRO/WMPC meeting arranged by CENTRO for 1.30pm to 3.00pm held on Thursday 1st November 2012 for consultation of pensioners problems on the Bus and Rail services within the West Midlands.
Many other issues and up to date news on our website including news from Wolverhampton, the NPC lobby and much more. New articles and photos soon.
Ivor Timson
PS. Please inform me if you require any changes or additions. All local articles and photos appreciated.
Update: it’s working! The petition demanding an investigation into lives put at risk by private health companies is growing fast with over 90,000 signatures so far. Thanks so much for being part of it.
If we can get the petition to 100,000, we will deliver it by hand to a powerful committee of MPs. There’s a great chance that it will convince them to launch a high-profile investigation into private health companies, just like they recently did for tax-dodgers.
Can you help by spreading the word to your friends and family? Please forward this email and ask friends to sign the petition here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Before Christmas, it was revealed that private companies like Serco and Care UK are putting lives in danger. They’ve been cashing in on contracts to provide GP services at the weekend and overnight. Now it looks like they’ve not been doing a proper job - and lives are at risk as a result.
There’s a powerful committee of MPs that has the power to do a proper investigation into their behaviour - and stop them getting further contracts if they’ve been doing a bad job. But there are lots of demands on the committee’s time. They’ll only investigate if they know there’s great public concern.
Together we can show MPs that an investigation is needed now to make sure no more lives are put at risk. The Public Accounts Committee has a strong track record at holding big bosses to account – at the end of last year they grilled Google, Amazon and Starbucks about tax dodging. Now is the time to demand they do the same for the bosses of private health companies.
Please ask your friends and family to help us reach 100,000 signatures by forwarding this email and asking them to click the link below:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Thanks for being involved,
Hannah, Becky, Robin and the 38 Degrees team
News on the EU and Water Bills.
Plans to force water companies to remove traces of pharmaceuticals found in lakes, rivers and seashore waters used in commonly used drugs are being drawn up by the European Commission. Estimates of such an exercise are £20 Billion over 20 years. This would push up the annual cost of water bills for water and sewerage services to around £420.
Whether or not such legislation is necessary, it should be decided by Britain's Government and not by the unelected and unaccountable Commission in Brussels. In addition the cost should be borne by the private water companies.
The Democrat -December 2012
A money printer for us all.
Britain's poorest people face a nightmare of increasing deprivation as coalition cuts bite even deeper this year. Trade Unions and Charities have recently reported their grave concerns. For our failed societal systems and for those in control, it seems they need to resort to quantitative easing, were money is printed to try to save their system and their wealth. For the remainder and the majority of our society, it leads to increased poverty.
Citizens Advice centres throughout the UK have reported that its bureaus are referring more very hungry families to food banks than ever before. And the charity warned numbers will rise further as welfare cuts take billions out of the economy next month.
In another report, Shelter the Housing Charity warned that more than five million families in England face the choice of putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their heads. Four in every 10 families have had to cut down on food spending, because they were struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, according to a YouGov poll of 4,000 families for the charity.
A Trade Union representative said: "The only growth sector is food banks and soup kitchens." We have only had a 20 per cent so far of the cuts planned by the coalition government''. A point consistently argued at our Birmingham and area meetings.
"The cuts to welfare on April 6 2013 will make the poor pay for multi- national violations and a crisis created by the banks.
A TUC Regional Spokesperson also stated: "The impending cuts, on top of already severe reductions in welfare payments, will drive the most vulnerable people into even deeper poverty. Trade Unions, Pensioner groups and Charities throughout the UK are calling for a change of direction.
In Birmingham, whole communities face having to loose their NHS Walk in Centres. Yet another attack upon our precious NHS. The City also is facing unprecedented cuts. Many other areas face a future of even more reductions in services.
Lets dispose of this dismal future, because society can be changed. We can achieve this , but we must be organised. We can achieve a peaceful world and forge a decent future for us all.
One reason, it is occurring today is down to the Government following an austerity policy, which is clearly not working; but suits those that have wealth and power, and not those that have worked there bones throughout their lives. In one form or another, we have all contributed. The vast majority of the country are not tax dodgers or scroungers. The real culprits are mainly the major worldwide companies, who are often literally bankrupt, and rely upon fictitious capital, but still exploit us all.
Perhaps, we could all be provided with a money printer!
The government is to axe an extra £2.5 billion from Britain's overall welfare budget from April 6th 2013. We surely must resist.
For an alternative economic and political analysis and ways forward, please read my earlier posts. We need a more affective strategy and action to counteract all these cuts and the tissues of lies peddled out by the mainstream media and the Government.
The poorest in our society should not pay for a economic slump; caused mainly by the Banks and a social system out of control. Surely a printer for all is in order! We can do much better and create a fair society!
Ivor Timson Msc(Econ)
Anyone wanting advice on the new welfare reforms- please either telephone or e-mail for further information and advice.
The late Ron Dorman asked me to include the following important article.
The Health & Social Care Act
Here are some of the main features of the Lansley Health & Social Care Act presented in bullet point form for clarity. As I get more information (and time) I will add to the notes as necessary.
- The Act represents the most extensive reorganisation of the NHS since it was formed in 1948 and could mean the end of the NHS as we know it.
- The Act only applies to England.
- The Secretary of State for Health gives up the duty to promote a comprehensive service in England. It is replaced with; “to act with a view to securing comprehensive services”, a much weaker statement.
- Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are to go at the end of March 2013.
- SHAs and PCTs are to be replaced by hundreds of general practice commissioning consortiums which all practices must join.
- The commissioning consortiums will be called Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and be given £60 - £80bn for “commissioning”. As incorporated bodies CCGs will not be directly controlled by the secretary of state for health and may enter into commercial contracts with “any willing provider” for all health services. They will also set terms and conditions for staff and thus undermine national bargaining with trade unions; this is not to the advantage of the staff. CCGs will have extraordinary powers to define entitlements to NHS provision and charge patients. GPs become direct overseers of NHS funds instead of receiving those funds through neighbourhood and regional PCTS. A CCG does not have a duty to provide a comprehensive range of services but only “such services or facilities as it considers appropriate”.
- A new national Commissioning Board must ensure CCGs cover the whole of England but do not coincide or overlap.
- A new executive agency of the Department of Health, Public Health England will be established on 1 April 2013.
- Local Authorities assume ultimate responsibility for public health via the new health and wellbeing boards working alongside Public Health England.
- Monitor will promote patients interests and stop “anti-competitive behaviour” ie behaviour that would prevent, restrict or distort competition.
- The NHS Future Forum is a “listening exercise” – 43 hand picked individuals many of whom are Lansley’s supporters.
- Cameron has set up a separate panel to advise him on the “reforms”. The panel includes Lord Crisp (NHS Chief Executive 2000/06) and Mark Britnell, Head of Health Policy at KPMG.
BMA has said “forcing commissioners of care to tender contracts to any willing provider, including commercial companies could destabilise local health economies and fragment care for patients”. The BMA went on to state that adding price competition to the mix could also allow large commercial companies to enter the NHS market and chase the profitable contracts, using their size to undercut on price, which could ultimately damage local services.
Kieran Walshe, professor of health and management, and Chris Ham, Chief Executive of Kings Trust state “It is difficult to see who is in charge of the NHS”. There are five bodies; Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the Care Equality Commission, NHS Commission Board and Monitor.
David Cameron has set up a separate panel to advise him on the reforms; members of this panel include Lord Crisp (NHS chief executive 2000-2006), Bill Moyes (a former head of Monitor), and the head of global health systems at McKinsey,[21][22] as well as Mark Britnell, the head of health policy at KPMG. Six months previously Britnell had told a conference of private healthcare executives that "In future, the NHS will be a state insurance provider not a state deliverer," and emphasised the role of Lansley's reforms in making this possible: "The NHS will be shown no mercy and the best time to take advantage of this will be in the next couple of years." KPMG issued a press statement on behalf of Britnell on 16 May 2011 stating
"The article in The Observer attributes quotes to me that do not properly reflect discussions held at a private conference last October. Nor was I given the opportunity to respond ahead of publication. I worked in the NHS for twenty years and now work alongside it. I have always been a passionate advocate of the NHS and believe that it has a great future. Like many other countries throughout the world, the pressure facing healthcare funding and provision are enormous. If the NHS is to change and modernise the public, private and voluntary sectors will all need to play their part."
The Future Forum. Professor Steve Field, a GP who chaired the forum, said many of the fears the public and medical profession had about the Health and Social Care Bill had been "justified" as it contained "insufficient safeguards" against private companies exploiting the NHS.
EU involvement in the Health & Social Care Act
I have been asked to provide further information on the Blue Badge scheme and I am happy to provide the following link which provides lots of information.
Blue-Badge-scheme-local-authority-guidance.pdf
460K View Download
Also, our Chairman Syd Ashby informs me that Older people and the Disabled with bus passes will be able to gain a third of train travel without a senior railcard; for a twelve month experimental period. The scheme is being rolled out by the First Great Western and will apply to standard off-peak train fares on journeys between Worcester and Swindon via Stroud and between Westbury and Weymouth. The Department of Transport will be assessing the trial to determine if a more wider and permanent application might be merited. Thanks.
Please e-mail if you require further information and watch this space.
A recent article purports that millions of older people in the UK due to retire over the next few years will face a double hit that is likely to see over 11 billion wiped off their retirement funds.
This figure takes in the impact on pensioners of tax and benefit changes, including the freezing of age-related allowances from April 2013 and the reduction in winter fuel payments, alongside rock bottom interest rates and three rounds of quantitative easing.
Compiled for Saga by experts from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the report concludes that the changes will cost pensioners an average of £1,318 each by 5 April 2014.
Dr Ros Altmann, director general of Saga, says: "Pensioners are being hammered. They didn't cause our economic meltdown yet they have been paying a heavy price as we try to fix it and they face an even tighter financial squeeze in future.
"Those retiring now are the biggest losers in life's pension lottery as tax and benefit changes will compound the misery wreaked by paltry savings rates and overshooting inflation."
The report shows that the 40% of single pensioners who sit in the lowest income bracket are forced to get by on just £8,034 a year with couples living on just £13,883. The average income of the next 40% of pensioners is £13,104 for single households and £23,998 for couples, while even the wealthiest 20% typically only receive £20,332, well below the average national income.
Altmann adds: "Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of pounds into financial markets and bank balance sheets it would have been much better sending cheques to everyone to encourage them to spend.
"If older generations felt confident again, they would splash out and boost economic growth. If we keep hammering them, these grey pounds will be wasted."
Alliance Trust Research Centre's study of inflation rates affecting different age groups shows that over the past two years, pensioners have suffered a higher rate of inflation.
A fightback by the growing pensioners movement is required.
Ivor Timson
At a recent Executive Committee our Secretary and Ron Dorman were asked to write an article on surveillance, here is the contribution from Ron our Press and Publicity Officer. Please feel free to join in this important debate.
Surveillance by the state of people considered “dangerous” is nothing new but was confined to comparatively few people in the past. However, with the explosion of technology in the last two decades the situation has changed dramatically. We now have such things as the internet, mobile phones and satellites. These inventions have brought about massive changes in communications and the way we live. But not all of this has been for our good.
The new techniques in communications has also made it possible to check what everyone does and says and providing a scapegoat can be found for doing so it will be done. Hence the “reason” for making Muslims the “baddies” - this not to say some Muslims may not be baddies just as in every other walk of life.
However, this new kind surveillance started before the “Muslim problem” way back in 1985 with the Schengen agreement signed by Germany, France and the Benelux countries and aimed at mutual recognition of visas between these countries and strengthened police co-operation. Schengen has since been integrated into the EU Amsterdam Treaty.
Also, a system called Echelon has been developed, designed as much for non-military use as military – for governments, organisations and businesses throughout the world - with Britain as one of the main participants. Thomas Mathiesen, Professor of law, University of Oslo in “On Globalisation of Control: Towards an Integrated Surveillance System in Europe” quotes Steve Wight as follows: “The Echelon system works by indiscriminately intercepting very large quantities of communications and then siphoning out what is valuable using artificial intelligence aides like Menox to find key words. Five nations share the results.... Each of the five centres supply “dictionaries” to the other four of key words. Phrases, people and places to “tag” and the tagged intercept is forwarded straight to the requesting country...”
Some people may say “If you have nothing to hide why worry?” The fact is all of us have private lives we wish no-one else to know about. But more importantly what may considered innocent today by the state may be considered a threat tomorrow – like a mass movement to get rid of our reactionary Con-Dem government – and should be opposed.
The late Ron Dorman 21-05
I have received several responses to this article and after gaining permission from the senders, I intend to publish, Thanks. Ivor Timson
The BBC have allowed me to print the following very up to date information on the question of pensions.
Please visit the BBC site for full information.
The government is exploring new types of pension schemes that would give more security to retiring workers.
Minister for Pensions, Steve Webb, says the government is looking at several options that might become, what he terms, a "defined ambition plan".
The idea is to replace final-salary pensions, which have become too expensive for many private firms.
The minister has been speaking to companies about creating a new framework for pension schemes.
Nick Clegg has called for the NHS to be 'broken up' and said the Lib Dems should consider replacing it with a European-style insurance system.
In a little-noticed interview before he took over as leader, he said the party should consider a social insurance system to replace the present tax-funded Health Service. The comments raise huge question-marks over the Lib Dems' commitment to such a cherished institution as the NHS. Is this true? It certainly has not been denied.
As a lifetime internationalist, Ron I will of course publish this and offer details of the following meeting:
NSSN Meeting 17 Nov MIDLANDS NSSN Conference Unite offices, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY. 12.00-16.00. Speakers include Joe Simpson, Assistant General Secretary POA, Lee Barron CWU Midlands regional secretary, Kevin Greenway PCS national executive Dave Auger UNISON Nick Harrison FBU & workshops!
Do look after yourself, but I am in catch up mode at present, but you know all my promises will be kept.
Solidarity with the workers of Europe. The Networks sounds good. Ivor Timson
John Manning- Bedworth
Snippets of information.
A new report from the NPC is being launched at the beginning of September to highlight the importance and value of universal pensioner benefits, such as concessionary bus travel and the winter fuel allowance.
The report, entitled Sir Alan Sugar and the missing bus pass, challenges a number of recent claims from politicians and think-tanks that older people’s benefits should not be given to those who are better-off.
The NPC believes this is being used as a smokescreen to introduce wide-spread means-testing which would withdraw support from any-one not on Pension Credit with an annual income of little more than £7500.
The report also highlights that the revenue collected by the state from older people, either directly financial through a range of taxes or through costs that older people bear that would other-wise be paid by the state, adds up to a staggering £175.8bn every year, compared to total expenditure on older people through pensions, welfare payments and health care of £136.2bn.
The overall, annual net contribution by older people to the economy is therefore almost £40bn – and is estimated to rise to almost £75bn by 2030.
Most importantly, this is more than enough to pay for the £8bn worth of age-related benefits that are now being questioned.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Many of these universal benefits have been introduced over time because successive governments were reluctant to improve the state pension system.”
“Having one of the least adequate pensions in Europe has almost forced governments to provide additional support to its older population, or witness the inevitable rise in pensioner hardship.”
In a further move against universal benefits, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary is said to be planning to introduce a temperature test for the winter fuel allowance which may mean that pensioners in southern England could lose out if temperatures go above a certain level.
The NPC is urging all pensioners to support a rally and lobby of Parliament on 31 October 2012. Please join us . Ivor Timson
The NPC’s latest Campaign! Bulletin is now available. The October edition includes Nick Clegg’s attack on universal pensioner benefits such as the winter fuel allowance and free bus travel, the criticism of the Treasury by former care minister Paul Burstow, the ongoing campaign to promote the NPC’s Dignity Code and the launch of the new Generations United campaign. You can download a copy of the Campaign! Bulletin here.
Save Our Buses
The NPC is a member of the Campaign for Better Transport, which is currently running a Save Our Buses campaign to make the case for buses to government and to support bus users to defend their local services.
You can find out how to get involved by visiting their website at www.bettertransport.org.uk.
Just received this latest response from 38 degrees on the NHS.
Dear Ivor,
It’s just been revealed that two big private healthcare companies are plotting to rig the future of our NHS. On Tuesday, Capita and United Healthcare are planning to schmooze leading GPs at a conference in London - the GPs now in charge of deciding the future of local health services. [1]
The big private companies have got the money to gain influence and access. But together, we can use people power to level the playing field - and invite doctors to our own patient-sponsored event down the road, just after their conference finishes.
Capita and United Healthcare hope GPs will stick around for free drinks on them. Instead we can tempt them over to a very different kind of event! They’ll have the chance to hear from experts explaining the role patients can play in helping to protect our NHS - and why they need to listen to us, not just big business.
Can you chip in £1 to become an event sponsor? We'll put up the names of all the sponsors as GPs arrive at the event. The contrast with the big money corporate sponsorship over the road couldn't be clearer. And the GPs will see just how many of us are ready to keep up the pressure to safeguard our health service.
Are you in? Click here now to donate £1 and add your name to the list of sponsors:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
Tuesday's event is a prime opportunity to start a new conversation with GP leaders. Lansley’s NHS changes mean crucial decisions about the future of our NHS are now in these GPs' hands. [2] We can show them that 38 Degrees members will be watching their decisions carefully - and that we plan to do all we can to protect our NHS.
We don’t have a lot of time to pull this together. But that’s the power of our movement. 38 Degrees members can move quickly when we get a chance like this to stand up for our NHS. Already we’ve got a venue, and a panel of healthcare professionals and experts lined up to speak. Zoe Williams, a Guardian columnist who has written about our NHS campaign has agreed to chair. Now it just needs you to make it happen.
A few weeks ago 38 Degrees members voted overwhelmingly to carry on campaigning to save our NHS. This is our chance to get down to business.
Please help show the GPs that the future of the NHS doesn't have to be all about private companies and big money sponsorship - chip in £1 now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
Thanks so much for helping make this happen,
David, Becky, James, Hannah, David, Cian, Marie and the 38 Degrees team
Dear Ivor,
TAKE ACTION: Help us lobby the Lords over limits on hospital income from private patients.
The government's controversial Health and Social Care Bill is now in the last stages of its passage through the House of Lords. Over the next weeks, Peers will be debating amendments to the Bill before voting on it. It's our last real opportunity to get significant changes made to measures, which could break up and sell off parts of our health service.
One crucial area of concern is the proposal to lift the Private Patient Income Cap. This would allow NHS hospitals to switch priorities and take on a much greater proportion of private paying patients – up to 49% of their income.
This change threatens to push NHS patients to the back of the queue for treatment as hospitals under pressure to make savings try to boost private income. Waiting lists could soar as those able to pay to jump the queue have greater opportunity to do so.
The Lords are due to debate three amendments to the Bill, which seek to stop the raising of the Private Patient Income Cap. Please help us ask Peers to vote for all three amendments.
Please help lobby against the raising of the cap on private work in the NHS by writing to a member of the House of Lords, asking them to support amendments 218A, 220A and 220C to the Health and Social Care Bill.
Peers don't have a direct constituency relationship to help you find the right person to write to, but we can help get around this, using this tool to let you "adopt a Peer". We'll match you at random to a member of the House of Lords and help you to contact them, either directly with a posted letter, or by email.
TAKE ACTION: Lobby a Peer over limits on hospital income from private patients. Letter from Going to Work.
Axe looming over health service jobs “Significant” numbers of health staff in the Black Country will lose their jobs next year under controversial reforms.
Primary Care Trusts are being scrapped from April with many roles transferred to councils, with warnings that “significantly fewer staff” would be employed.
The four trusts in the Black Country have been inviting people to apply for a “mututally agreed resignation scheme” – a form of voluntary redundancy.
So far 230 have done so – a fifth of the 1,100 staff at the Black Country Cluster of Primary Care Trusts.
Consortia of GP practices will take on responsibility for commissioning most health services from PCTs, including some of the staff, while councils will take on PCTs’ public health functions and be charged with leading the integration of health and social care locally.
Dudley Council expects to take on around 80 staff with similar numbers likely to be taken on by Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall.
The consortia, called clinical commissioning groups, have either recruited all their staff or are in the final units. Michelle Beddow, spokesman for the Black Country cluster of PCTs, said: “Staff who have been aligned to the Commissioning Support Unit are currently being consulted on draft structures and it is expected that recruitment will begin in October.
“Discussions are continuing with the local authorities on the transfer of public health staff and services.
“Similarly the National Commissioning Board are also still making decisions on the structures for local offices. It is expected that the new organisations will employee significantly fewer staff than the PCT’s currently employee.
However, until the structures are all in place it is impossible to say how many staff that will be.”
She said applications for the mutually agreed resignation scheme had now closed and added: “We recognise that the current situation is a difficult one for our staff and every effort is being made to ensure they are offered as much support as possible during this period.”
Please note jobs and services are at risk. Ivor Timson 2012.
More letters for the web site.- 2012
Gobbledegook by Marin Folan- North Warwickshire
The Government recently offered i’ts “final offer” on pensions. Danny Alexander stated that “the new pensions will be substantially more affordable to alternative providers. By offering transferred staff the right to remain members of the public service scheme, we are no longer requiring private, voluntary and social enterprise providers to take on the risks of defined benefit that deter many from bidding for contracts in the first place.”
Similarly, in his first letter of remit to the new chairman of the School Teachers Review Board, Michael Gove asked them to report on “how the pay framework for teachers should best be made more market facing in local areas,” with reference to the private sector.
It is not just education that is under attack. The same process is being carried out across all public services, as the recent passage of the high-profile NHS Bill shows. Against this background interest rates remain at 0.5 per cent which we all subsidise at the expense of savers and others.
We face not just savage austerity cuts, but a politically motivated attempt to completely restructure the British economy and effectively abolish the public sector. The economists continue to re- write their own history and talk gobbledegook. 09-04-2012
Win the final battle to save the NHS
The final battle to save the NHS is at hand. If we seize it we can win, but it will take everyone of us who support the Nye Bevan type of NHS to do so.
All the medical professions, including those of the doctors it is supposed to benefit, are opposed to the Lansley's Con-Dem Health & Social Care Bill, as is Unison and other unions and the vast majority of people in England. Despite this the government still intend to push ahead if we let them; but Lansley's job is now in question and although Cameron says he supports him when a Downing Street source says he should be taken out and shot, the governrnent is clearly split.
Clearly pensioners, their families and friends can help tip the balance, but to do so means they have to make their voices heard NOW. Here are a few suggestions as to what they can DO.
1) Contact their MP whichever political party he/she belongs to and demand the government carries out its promise not to introduce top down changes in the NHS.
2) Put posters in house/flat window stating "Kill the NHS Bill".
3) Ask any organisations they are in to call on Cameron to withdraw the Health & Social care Bill.
4) Take part, if possible, in any local/national demonstrations against the Bill.
Note. Nearly all, if not all, pensioners are dependent on the NHS, so in self interest alone to help save it. Lansley wants 49% of beds allocated to private patients, which mean NHS queues will lengthen and less resources will be available for NHS patients who cannot pay.
John Ashby.
Please also see the article on benefits. Please click the relevant link: 6 Feb 2012 pensioners.doc
24K View Download
Benefit Scroungers?
Not everyone on benefits is a scrounger. Nor does everyone get £26,000 per year, despite what the recent 'cap em' debate's made some believe. Of course, some abuse the system, and the system abuses others by failing to make work pay. Yet the current rhetoric risks putting those in need off getting what they're entitled to, eg, 1million pensioners don't claim pension credit, even though they've often paid into the system for all their working lives.
John Starkey- North Warwickshire.
Do you think the Government treats you fairly?
Is it making you work longer for a pension that will make you worse off? Women are treated as secondary citizens. Cameron, Clegg, Osborne seem to have no respect for females at all. We need you whatever your age to stand and fight for better rights for all women. Come and join the National Pensioners Convention, see if there is a local branch in your area or join us at Birmingham. Lets all stand together and fight this Government and the policies that are affecting us all.
Pat O' Dowd NPC- Wolverhampton.
Please also see details of our “Women in Retirement” conference on our blog/news page.
Our Future.
It is a truism that every age is an age of change. But what I hope we can do in this short letter is to capture the speed and the quality of the revolutions we’ve all experienced; in our communities, in the world, and between the generations. In my view of the wider world, these are the things that matter, and it’s right that we can try to trace some of the most important changes that have turned the post-war country that welcomed us to our unfettered and stalling globalized world, which seems in so many ways to be a different place and clearly now in trouble. But will all this conflict, price rises, instability bring us all together as it did for many after the last world war? Will it bring about new and progressive changes? I rather think it is back to the drawing board, to change things ourselves, if our Grandchildren have any hope for the future. Lets not just contemplate change, but transform our communities into a new truism.
E Williams- Coventry
Women's pay and employment update: a public/private sector comparison
Report for Women's Conference 2012
A TUC report to the Women's Conference 2012 highlights the employment challenges currently facing women.
The report shows that with many thousands of skilled professional women in the public sector set to lose their jobs, the concentration of female private sector employment in low-skilled and poorly paid sectors poses a big challenge to their pay and career prospects.
Despite decades of progress, women's employment in the private sector remains concentrated around the five 'cs' - caring, catering, cashiering, cleaning and clerical work. As a result the gender pay gap for women working full time is twice as high in the private sector (18.4 per cent) as it is in the public sector (9.2 per cent).
Download Women's Conference Report 2012 [PDF]
Fair Pensions For- All Day of Action.
A number of trade unions took strike action in November, in defence of their occupational pensions. The NPC believed this was an opportunity to link up the campaign to include the state pension, as well as occupational pensions. With this in mind, the NPC gave its support to the day of action and encouraged supporters to attend events that are taking place across the country. We tried to show that this was a campaign for all pensions – state, private and public. The day of action was hugely successful. See our many photographs on this page and our homepage.
In a further development on pensions, an article in the Times recently - 18th November 2011, suggests that the uprating figure for pensions and benefits might be the average over six months and 4.5 % rather than the September CPI figure of 5.2%. It is therefore vital that we respond and send an email - and encourage others to do so - stating our opposition to such a move. Thank you for the considerable support, which I am convinced changed the Government policy on this issue for 2012-13.
It seems that this will not 'at present' be adopted and I feel sure our e-mails, lobbies and protests helped. Campaigns can be very affective and thanks to everyone who responded. Apparently there was a huge response.12- 02- 2012.
Please view and consider raising the motion sent by David Kippest-Unison on the important topic of the National Care Service. Details on our news-campaign page.
Ivor Timson
And now for another letter from one of our active and respected members.
Time to give pensioners fairness on allowances.
Regarding celebrities and millionaires of pensionable age, that are giving their winter fuel allowance to a fund to help those less fortunate than themselves. I have no qualms about all that.
It is their money and they can do whatever they like with it. But why do they make a song and dance about it? I f they want to give it to a charity of their choice, give it to a charity, full stop.
In fact,this country has become a charity shop and a profitable haven for all the world. This Government is giving another 20 million to foreign aid, some deserved, but some to countries that are better off than we are.
The pensioners of this country have had their winter fuel allowance cut by £50- £100, and we all know the cost of fuel has risen, yet we are the ones who have the reductions at the time we need it most. Perhaps those celebrities and millionaires could join us in our campaign for an above the poverty- line pension of £178 per week.
They can do this by supporting the National Pensioners Convention which vigorously campaigns on such issues. It is about time we looked after those that have given so much throughout their lives.
On that note as a member of the Wolverhampton branch, I wish everyone a warm, happy and productive 2012.
Mrs P A Jordon, Press Officer, Wolverhampton Branch.
Received the following article from Ron Dorman, which I am pleased to include.
NHS: Time to ACT!
Crunch time for the NHS: in the next few weeks the NHS as we know it will either be destroyed by the vicious Con-Dem Government’s Health & Social Care Bill or the bill will be serious modified or killed off. Kill it!
Every single health organisation from the BMA to the Royal College of Nursing and health unions such as Unison are totally opposed to the health bill. Even the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, Tory, Stephen Dorrell- is against it. Why such opposition?
Because the Bill seeks to:
- Scrap the duty of the secretary of state to provide comprehensive and universal services;
- Open up a competitive market in the NHS for transnational companies to make profits out of the lucrative work and leave the difficult costly work to the NHS;
- Allow NHS facilities to be used for private medicine;
- Force GPs to run clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) which they don’t want to do – GPs either look after patient’s clinical needs or run the CCGs, they can’t do both.
Unfortunately, Ed Miliband , “Leader” of the Labour Party, is not giving any real lead in opposing Lansley’s Health Bill and neither are some trade union leaders who say they are opposed to it. So, what to do? Here are a few suggestions,
- West Midlands Pensioners Convention to write to Ed Miliband and all Midlands MPS, from whatever party, demanding they oppose the Health Bill.
- Ask union organisations affiliated to WMPC to do the same.
- Organise demonstrations in the main areas of WMPC and call upon other local organisations to take part.
- Ask the Midlands TUC pensioners network to organise a demonstration.
Please also consider writing letters to the press both locally and nationally.
The late Ron Dorman.
Just a few snippets of imformation from Walsall following a demonstration against Councillors allowances being raised while jobs and care services are being slashed.
The campaign was successful and the allowances frozen, but the disgraceful cuts continue.
Peter Last- WMPC Vice Chair
Cathy Come Home
After including the details on our news-campaigns page about a housing campaign, I felt compelled to add the following as my first contribution in the form of a short 'article'.
As an aside from the campaign, it is interesting to me that Ken Loach is a speaker at some of the planned meetings. Apart from being born in my hometown, I was given the 'Ken Loach at the BBC' Video box set for Christmas. This contains Cathy Come Home, which in 1966 was watched by twelve million people- a quarter of the population at the time; and exposed the poverty and homelessness of the day. Any return to this situation should be vociferously campaigned against. The film provoked major public and social discussion and challenged the accepted practice and conventions of television drama. I remember it very well and it revives memories of my early days in trying to influence and change society and the community I lived in.
Ivor Timson - North Warwickshire and WMPC Webmaster.
Ladies of the Midlands. 24-02-2012
A contribution from Pat O' Dowd- Chair- Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention.
The National Pensioners Convention would like to take up the challenge for the saving of the NHS. Be like June Hautot and let them know where to shove their NHS reforms. The Women can do this! Pat O' Dowd.
Chris Smith our Secretary has asked for the following to be included:
The item below "Incomes Tracker" which is shown via the link allows individuals to see the real reduction in their incomes. This can also be applied to the yearly amount an individual pensioner receives. Introducing the Incomes Tracker – how might you have lost out?
You can use our incomes tracker to see what you might be earning today, had wages for your job had the same economic share as they had in the 70s.
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-20554-f0.cfm Our thanks to the TUC.
Campaign for Fair Care!
The National Pensioners Convention’s new campaign for 2013 is entitled: Fair Care.The campaign will raise the arguments in favour of a National Care Service which is funded through general taxation, like the NHS. As well as addressing how care should be funded, the campaign will also call for improved standards including the introduction of a Dignity Code to give rights to all older people in receipt of care. In the West Midlands we are planning our strategy for 2012. I will also be including some new sections soon, as well as outlining the Unison motion. Please view our new- news-campaigns page for further information.
Photographs above taken by Chris L Smith apart from media article.
The NPC called week of action during 24-29 October 2011 as part of the ongoing campaign for three basic rights:
- A decent state pension that takes everyone out of poverty.
- Proper care in the NHS or the community for those in need, paid for through general taxation
- A warm home with financial assistance towards fuel costs
We felt very proud to support such a campaign and we will endeavour to do our best to support all actions both on a local and national level.
Other campaigns:
Please also consider signing the petition as below:
We the undersigned recognise the serious problem of fuel poverty in this country amongst older people faced with rising energy bills, believe that the excess winter death rate amongst pensioners is a national scandal and call on the government to reverse its callous decision to cut the winter fuel allowance, and instead increase the allowance to £500 for every pensioner household. Sign up by sending your name and address to [email protected]
Take action to save the NHS- MPs recently voted in favour of the Health and Social Care Bill, which now moves to the House of Lords for further debate. It is vital that we use this time to lobby as many Peers as possible to stop this Bill from destroying the NHS. Use the link below to find a template letter as well as a link to ‘Adopt a Peer’ – click and it will give you the details of a member of the House of Lords to contact. You can do this as many times, with as many peers, as you like. See our Newsletter for further advice on the current situation. Thanks.
http://fortyshadesofgrey.blogspot.com/2011/09/help-save-nhs.html?m=1
Defend Council Housing
A national protest took place at Parliament to challenge Government attacks on tenants and demand action.
The Housing Emergency protest opposed attacks on tenancies, rents and benefits, and demand new Council housing - see leaflet. The national protest follows lobbies and protests across Britain, rejecting attacks on secure tenancies, up to 80% market rents, and evictions, and demanding a mass council house building programme to provide desperately-needed secure and genuinely-affordable housing.
MPs next month vote for the last time on the Localism Bill, introducing fixed term tenancies, giving Councils powers to end homeless access to council housing and remove thousands from housing waiting lists.
The government's housing strategy is an all-out assault on council housing.
They propose to continued underfunding of council housing, combined with fixed-term tenancies, subsidies for more stock transfers, and increased sale of council homes through Right to Buy, to be replaced with up to 80% market rents.This would destroy the principles of decent, affordable, secure and accountable council housing as a public asset and a service to meet general need.
Tenants, housing workers and trade unions, councillors, MPs and campaigners can challenge, resist and stop these policies, through united and determined local and national campaigning.A national Defend Council Housing meeting next Saturday will agree the next steps to:
* Ensure councils reject fixed term tenancies, up to 80% market rents and restricted access to council housing. Oppose any evictions due to housing benefit cuts and caps
* Fight stock transfers and end subsidies to privatisation
* Challenge ministers to demand they stop the attacks and invest in council housing
* Unite a big, broad national movement against attacks on rents, benefits and tenancies, and for our homes.
Here is the link to the organisation we formally support. http://www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk
Welfare for the elderly under attack
Proper care for the elderly is a very important issue and quite rightly. Therefore, proposals for cuts put forward by Nick Boles, MP for Grantham, in July 2012 have created a storm of disapproval. Here is what he proposed: an end to the free travel pass, the winter fuel allowance, free prescriptions and TV licences for the “better-off pensioners” from 2015. Although the issue was raised by an MP, not the government, and is attacking ‘better off’ pensioners only they are clearly the lines along which the government is thinking and will come into force during the course of time unless we all make it clear this is not on, even for ‘better off’ pensioners. So, what response has Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour party, made to these attacks on the elderly, among the most vulnerable in society – none.
‘Claims about the welfare state being ‘in terminal decline’ with spending spiralling ‘out of control’, facing a ‘funding crisis’ because of the aging population and fewer people in work, the system riddled with fraud, and the middle classes getting benefits they don’t ‘need’ whilst scroungers and single ‘mothers bleed the system dry’ are regularly made in the media. They make media headlines and give right wing politicians and academics media coverage they would not otherwise get’. This was not taken from something you may read in the press today but from an excellent pamphlet called ’Rebuilding the Welfare State’ issued by West Midlands Unison in August 1996.
The quote, while not true, shows the concept of the welfare state, including elderly care, has been under sustained attack for several years by the media and governments of all political parties, including the Labour party.
When the NHS was established in 1948 by the then Labour government and Aneurin Bevan a distinction was made between ‘health care’ provided free at the point of use by the NHS, and ‘social care’ provided by local authorities which was means tested. The principle of social insurance did not cover long term elderly care however the NHS did provide such care but over the last couple of decades it has been phased out. At the same time, due to budget cuts, local authorities have closed facilities for the elderly although as the Birmingham City Council said years ago their homes for elderly care were more democratically run than the alternatives.
Following the implementation of the Social Security Act 1982 payment of private and nursing home fees became a statutory entitlement. This fuelled the rapid expansion of private residential and nursing homes. ‘There were 11,000 recipients in 1979 costing £10m but by 1993 the number had risen to 284,000 costing an estimated £2.6bn. In 1979 local authorities provided 70% of residential places but by 1992 this had fallen to 30%’. (Unison pamphlet)
The European Commission White Paper on Jobs and Unemployed issued in 1994 said that reducing employers non-wage labour costs could relate primarily to contributions which finance expenditure normally pertaining to national solidarity – family allowances, the minimum old age pension, serious illness or long term unemployment - are insurable or could be provided through long term savings.
The European Commission calculated that if the reduction in employers’ social security contributions is targeted on categories of workers with a low level of skills, the unemployment rate would fall by 2.5% over four years. In other words the Commission proposed policies to reduce unemployment should be traded with the potential to privatise the welfare state. Under the above scenario, those in low paid jobs and heavily dependent on the welfare state, must supply the financial means to provide low wage jobs for the unemployed! Note: EU budget for Social Policy was 0.2bn euros out of a total of 129.1bn euros in the year 2008.
Arguments currently used to cut provision for the elderly
Today, the arguments for cuts in all kinds of social provision is the debt crisis brought about by the banks who were bailed out by the government (£1.3trillion) and whose Chief Executive Officers continue to pay themselves bonuses. It is only now that things are beginning to change due to mass pressure.
However, let’s take a look at this ‘crisis’ a bit closer. Although the debt is the greatest in our history it should be measured against our ability, as a country, to pay the debt. Therefore, it should be measured, as it usually is, against what is called the GDP, or gross domestic product. In plain language the wealth we as a country produce each year. The debt measured in this way, the normal way, produces a different picture whereby the ‘debt’ is only 77% of GDP, or 17% above the 60% of GDP ‘allowed’ by the European Union!
It is worth comparing this level of debt with previous years. Between 1918 and 1961, a total of 43 years, Britain’s debt never fell below 100% of GDP and when the NHS was introduced (1948) reached about 230% of GDP. Even with these very high debts there were no calls for ‘tightening belts’ by the government like today. Most of today’s austerity is driven by the EU, due to its drive to privatise everything in favour of the banks and transnational companies and set arbitrary maximum levels of debt at 60% of GDP and deficits at 3% GDP. It may look as though the government is following its own independent cuts policy (the Tories would certainly carry through such a policy) but in reality it is carrying out EU policy as is shown by the fact that over 70% of all laws now made in Britain originate in the EU!
Things are due to get worse. The following comments are drawn from a Paper “ Why EU ‘trade’ means war on workers” given to the Institute of Employment Rights by Linda Kaucher. Here is the summary of the Paper quoted at the beginning of it. ‘Largely ignored in debates about the EU, the EU’s Trade Commission has an international role which includes giving trade concessions for temporary labour to be brought in from outside of the EU, with no reciprocal job creation in the deals. Thus EU, international and domestic levels need to be taken into account in defending workers’ rights, including the EU, global and domestic influence of the City of London Corporation’.
How is moving workers across borders part of ‘trade’ and why should pensioners concern themselves with it? The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has defined 4 ‘modes’ of service delivery and Mode 4 is about cross-border delivery when workers are moved across borders.
An EU/Indian Trade Agreement is to be concluded by the end of this year although the Indian trade unions are opposed to it. The Agreement includes Mode 4 which means Indian workers can be imported into Britain and not classed as immigrants, who will not pay taxes, send much of their money home and deprive people permanently living in Britain of jobs. If implemented, Britain would become much poorer, ill equipped to improve things and thereby have a knock on effect for provision for elderly care and other social services. As Mode 4 will be locked into trade agreements, the contents of which are secret until completed, they are very difficult to change. Imported workers in this context means can mean skilled workers including professionals.
A few suggestions of where the money can come from to provide for elderly care and other social provision:-
· £120bn per annum from tax avoidance, tax evasion and uncollected taxes.
· £200bn from renegotiation of ending PFI contracts and ending PFI.
· £1.8 - £3.3bn per annum from ending Trident.
Putting the 2.5 million unemployed back to work would also create wealth in Britain and reduce government spending on social security.
What we can do
- Oppose all Con/Dem privatisation legislation and EU laws that are against the people’s interests;
- Pressure the Labour party to change course and support public social provision instead of privatisation;
- Support the peoples Charter, which was passed by last year’s TUC but has not been campaign by the TUC general Council.
- Support the 20th October national demonstration for A Future That Works
- Write to your MP and press as individuals and from your pensioners organisation
- Contact radio to inform them and what you think of privatisation and lack of provision for the elderly care pointing out there is no need for any cuts.
Ron Dorman 2012
Hundreds of pensioners from across the UK gathered in Westminster on October 26th to lobby their MPs to demand three basic rights as outlined below:
The campaign, organised by Britain’s biggest pensioner pressure group – the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), called for:
- The basic state pension to be raised above the official poverty level
- A National Care Service paid for through general taxation
- A winter fuel allowance of £500 per pensioner household
MORE PICTURES FROM THE 30TH NOVEMBER 2011 MARCH & RALLY FOR PENSIONS JUSTICE IN BIRMINGHAM. WHAT A GREAT DAY!
Pictured below some of the WMPC-Regional EC and National Members with the National Officer- NPC.
Click to enlarge.
EC Officers at a recent Joint- NPC-Regional Meeting.
Many joined the West Midlands Pensioners Convention March and Lunch Time Rally in the pouring rain.This march provoked lots of debate and discussion making it still relevant for this new articles-debate page for 2013.
The March Started at Transport House, Transport & General Workers Offices, Broad Street, Birmingham.
Our latest campaign in 2014 is against the Centro public transport cuts. Here is a copy of our latest Press release, which includes our next campaign stop. Join us.
The pledge, by David Cameron, on the future of our state pensions and the triple lock mechanism, is of course welcome. Our suspicion is that this is a cynical attempt to win the support and votes of pensioners.
We are also concerned about the intentions of George Osborne of further savage cuts and any plans for Universal Benefits.
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention are seeking assurances from all the major parties, that our bus passes, winter Fuel allowances, TV licences and indeed free prescriptions will be secure, if our regions pensioners choose to vote for them.
We in the West Midlands Pensioners Convention, will campaign vociferously to protect our Pensioner Universal entitlements.
Our immediate concern is to oppose any CENTRO Cuts to Pensioners free travel on our regions rail and tram service, and we urge CENTRO not to cease funding or to reduce our vital Ring and Ride Service.
Our Campaigns continue and our next meeting is on the 30th January 2014 at Transport House, Broad Street, Birmingham- 11-0am to 1-0pm. Please join us at least for a coffee or tea. Thanks.
Contacts: Press and Publicity Officer:
Brian Allbutt : 07586872063
E mail [email protected]
Regional Secretary: Ivor Timson: 07983559612
E mail [email protected]
Thanks for the support. All future letters, articles and discussion can be viewed on this page. Please consider writing a short article on matters of interest.Thanks.
We welcome articles and contributions from all Pensioner groups in the Midlands.
I have now included below the NPC's initial analysis of social care funding which you can now download/print.
NPC Social Care Briefing
Please find attached the NPC’s analysis of the recent announcement on social care funding.
Neil Duncan-Jordan
National Officer
NPC
Social Care funding reform briefing paper February 2014.doc
111K View Download
The following reform does nothing to improve the quality of services currently on offer. It was announced a rise from £23,250 to £123,000 in the amount of assets people have before having to contribute to the costs of nursing care. Please see our full updated analysis.
The cap figure is so much higher than that recommended by a 2011 review, which said it should be set at £35,000. Perhaps yet another hit on the least better off in today's society.
Our National Pensioners Convention released the following press release:
Social care plan lacks sufficient funding to make a difference to people’s lives.
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has described the government’s plan to reform social care funding as “about as credible as a Findus Lasagne” because it lacks sufficient funding to tackle the problems that pensioners face.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “The social care system needs urgent and radical reform, but these proposals simply tinker at the edges. The current system is dogged by means-testing, a postcode lottery of charges, a rationing of services and poor standards and nothing in the plan looks like it will address any of these concerns. Setting a lifetime cap on care costs of £75,000 will help just 10% of those needing care, whilst the majority will be left to struggle on with a third rate service. The government needs to be much braver and bolder if it it really going to sort out the problems – otherwise in a few years time we’ll be back again having another look at the issue. Using inheritance tax or money saved from the state pension system simply won’t raise enough money to bring about the change that’s needed. It’s time we merged health and social care and had a truly integrated system which was funded through general taxation – like the NHS – rather than put all the responsibility on pensioners and their families. Getting older and needing care isn’t a lifestyle choice – so why should the cost of care not be shared by society as a whole? Frankly, the plan as it stands is about as a credible as a Findus Lasagne.”
Please also consider signing a anti-cuts petition. Click below for full details.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40451
Adult and Communities service review - Neither a Green Paper nor a Dialogue
The problem confronting Sir Albert Bore is how to cut even deeper into social care services where he knows that pound by pound he will hurt the most vulnerable in our city. An existing £46m is being cut annually from the adult social care budget and from 2014-15 Bore wants to increase this total to £75m.
The Labour leadership has embarked on a series of fundamental service reviews across all the services run by the Council and is publishing the results as a series of Green Papers. The Adult and Communities Green Paper has now been published and the Council has embarked on a series of ‘Dialogue’ meetings with service users and carers over the summer to sound out these latest cut proposals.
Anyone who has read a Government Green paper will know it is a substantial document with detailed discussion of policy options. Apparently Sir Albert doesn’t want us to be bogged down in details, the specific proposals involving £29m worth of cuts consist of just half a page of a very short seven page paper.
Members of the pubic attending the dialogue meeting struggle to understand what is being proposed by the council, and most importantly what it means for the services they use and how it might affect their lives. But what Council officers have been told by service users at these meetings is how much the existing cuts are already affecting peoples lives.
Carers, often elderly, have repeatedly complained about the increasing difficulty of accessing short breaks for the adult children they care for. Contacting social workers and the time involved in waiting for assessments and for care services was again a familiar concern. One carer complained about finding a home carer employed by a private home care company contracted by the Council asleep on his mothers sofa.
The proposals themselves involve yet more privatisation of care services where the Council will no longer directly provide any services and move to that of a commissioning authority only. Birmingham has closed and outsourced all its residential homes for adults in recent years, it is now proposing to ‘externalise’ its remaining specialist care services and to stop providing all respite care.
The Green Paper refers to a ‘demand management’ approach where it identifies the most expensive groups of service users requiring the most expensive care, referred to in the Green Paper as ‘high cost, high end care’, with the objective of reducing the costs of care for that group.
The Green Paper and ‘Dialogue’ meetings are an attempt to prepare the public for ‘bad news’ ahead of setting the Council budget for 2014-15, which will begin in earnest in the Autumn. The Green Papers are to be discussed at Council Ward Committees in August and September and it is important that people attend and raise their concerns.
Sir Albert Bore has told us that his raison d'être is ‘protecting the most vulnerable’, what he needs to told loud and clear and by as many people as possible that the cuts to adult social care are hurting not protecting the most vulnerable in Birmingham!
Jolyon Jones
I promised a little humour, so here we have a little for starters. Sent in by Catherine and Roy.
The elders of a church in the Bible belt of southern America decided that the outside of their wooden church was looking decidedly shabby and that it needed a new coat of paint.
One of the members of the church, Amos Filch who was a painter, bid for the job and won.
The scaffolding was duly erected and he commenced work.
As he was near to finishing the job he chuckled to himself that they would never know that he had thinned down the paint so that he only needed 20 gallons instead of the 30 gallons he was charging for and so making a tidy profit.
Just then the sky turned black and the heavens opened up and washed away most of the paint; a bolt of lightning hit the church spire causing Amos to fall off the scaffolding onto the grass below.
The clouds parted and a shaft of light shone on Amos. Being a religious man Amos knew he was in trouble with the Lord so scrambling to his knees he prayed, “I'm sorry oh Lord, please forgive me, what can I do to make amends”?
A voice boomed from the heavens,
“ REPAINT, REPAINT AND THIN NO MORE ''.
There is a discussion paper on making an alternative response to the Adult and Communities Green Paper here:
http://communitiesagainstthecuts.com/2013/08/15/the-future-of-care-services-in-the-city-time-for-a-real-debate/
Over fifty thousand marched and joined the rally at Manchester on the 29th September 2013 in support of the NHS. Many of the Pensioners Convention members were in attendance, in what the Police described as the largest march seen in Manchester.
The demonstration aimed to highlight the impact of government policies on jobs and spending across the health service, as well as the “rapid selloff” of the most lucrative parts of the NHS to private healthcare companies.
They were in Manchester to protest against the privatisation of the NHS by the Tories and their Lib Dem partners. The growing mood of resistance was fully in evidence. The march wound through the streets for three hours. At its head was public-service Union Unison, a contingent which was itself thousands strong. A huge display of strength was shown by people of all ages. Following the march union leaders were due to address a rally alongside appearances by musicians.
Still lot’s more to say on spying including the news that British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden. And as I type, the UK is trying to block minor reforms of protection by the European Union. Again very frightening, but some organisations are working on solving the problem in our interests. More soon. Ivor Timson
The National Health Service: something we we all depend upon to some degree (even if we hold “private” health insurance), could soon be just a fond memory as we are forced to watch it being dismantled and its place being taken by a profit-based health market, where only money talks.
This will surely impact upon us all and impact upon services for the older person and the wider communities.The Government’s new plans for the NHS could spell the end of our precious and pioneering ‘free for all at the point of need’ principled service. It could be turned into a cherry-picking, maximised-profit-driven free-for-all in the very worst sense.
The Clinical Commissioning Groups will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal. They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts this year (2013). The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, Community Services, and Continuing Healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.The big move to privatisation could well be the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider.Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. We need to have a say as the CCG’s are meeting now.
It is not too late. If you want a National Health Service that is meaningful, then be prepared to do it service and to be of service to it: it’s mutually beneficial. Ivor Timson- North Warwickshire
2013 International Women’s Day Event
Asbestos and Women’s Health
An Ongoing Health and Safety Disaster
The West Midlands Hazards Trust and Asbestos Support West Midlands invited all women to this
International Women’s Day event. Asbestos related diseases have traditionally been associated
with men, the truth is asbestos and other occupational health dangers are having a disastrous
affect on women’s health. The day examined the problem and set out what could be done. It
featured expert presentations and gave plenty of opportunities for debate and discussion.
Speakers included:
Laurie Kazan-Allen, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat
Hilda Palmer, Hazards Campaign and Families Against Corporate Killers.
Plus a rare showing of the film Alice a Fight for Life.
The event was supported and sponsored by::
Birmingham Unison, UCATT Midlands Region, PCS Midlands and the Midlands TUC
Sent in by Yvonne Washbourne.
Pensioner group slams Lord’s idea of “National Service for the over 60s”
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has criticised a suggestion from Lord Bichard that those who have just retired should be forced to undertake voluntary work or risk losing part of their pension.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “This amounts to little more than National Service for the over 60s and is absolutely outrageous. Those who have paid their national insurance contributions for 30 or more years are entitled to receive their state pension and there should be no attempt to put further barriers in their way. We already have one of the lowest state pensions in Europe and one in five older people in Britain live below the poverty line. This suggestion from Lord Bichard would only make that situation worse. But the real scandal is that he hasn’t understood the value that pensioners already bring to our society – contributing £40bn extra every year in unpaid volunteering and caring. Without the army of older volunteers many parts of our society would begin to crumble. Lord Bichard’s comments are also extremely divisive – trying to pitch younger people against older people, when the truth is that the real division in our society is between rich and poor. Frankly, Lord Bichard needs to think twice before making such silly and ill-informed remarks”. Press Release.
New article just received.
Our NHS is slipping over the abyss into the jaws of the profit greedy profiteers, with just two months to go before the biggest re-organisation in the history of the NHS. The adverse implications, for senior citizens, of all these changes is very worrying. We face being discriminated against and excluded from a whole range of medical treatments; with only the better off senior citizens able to pay for and access an increasingly privatised Health Service.
A good indicator of these concerns, are reports of falling staff levels and real problems with the provision of quality patient care, the Health and Social Care Act will do nothing to address these issues. This as been highlighted, again by the BBC Inside Out investigation which detailed that of 12,000 reported incidents of inadequate patient care; 40% were due to bedsores!
Having worked in this area myself, I know at first hand, that the only way to prevent and effectively deal with bedsores is through effective monitoring and re-positioning of patients at regular intervals throughout the day /night. This is particularly the case where patients are unable to move themselves whilst in a bed or chair, which is often the case where someone is obese, is hospitalised as the result of a fall, severe arthritis and many other conditions that are often associated with those of us who are increasing in years.
In the West Midlands we already have the highest number of reported incidents of poor prevention and treatment of bedsores throughout the NHS. With Clinical Commissioning Groups operating to budgets set by NHS Commissioning Boards dominated by Private Sector Consultancies; there is very little likelihood that the necessary staffing levels will be funded to deal with issues such as bedsores.The issue of patient bedsores is just one more reason for fighting to keep our NHS Public. As the Regional Secretary said in his new year address 'maybe pensioners need to return from their self-imposed retreat into exclusive retirement'
Get involved in the campaigns to Save Our NHS- below are some organisations we can support.
www.38degrees.org.uk
http://www.saveournhs-wm.org.uk/
http://www.keepournhspublic.com
http://www.nationalhealthaction.org.uk/
Brian Allbutt- Birmingham.
Must include the following letter due to the cold weather conditions we are currently experiencing.
Dear Ivor,
Tonight, people without a home may need to sleep out in the freezing cold, desperately trying to keep warm on the street. It’ll be below zero – and that might mean not waking up in the morning. [1]
When it gets this cold, local councils are meant to activate an emergency plan to find people sleeping rough and get them into the warm. [2] Some councils are moving fast to save lives. But others may be dragging their heels instead of working quickly to find the people in danger.
Could you send a quick email to your local councillors to ask what they’re doing to help get people off the streets tonight?
It’s incredibly easy to email your councillors using the 38 Degrees website.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
If your local councillors aren’t doing much, lots of emails from 38 Degrees members asking about the emergency plan could be just the kick they need.
As the snow falls, the best councils have staff on the phone getting different departments to work together. They’re using camp beds and community centres to help people with nowhere to go keep out of the deadly cold. [3]
If lots of us send e-mails today, we can show our councillors we want them to act fast, and let them know it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to save lives.
We’ll find your local councillors from your postcode, and there’s a template e-mail you can use if you’re not sure what to say. It only takes 2 mins and it could make all the difference in your local area:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Together, 38 Degrees members use people power to change things for the better. Whether it’s banding together to protect the NHS we love or standing up to the power and greed of Rupert Murdoch, we change things in the real world by signing petitions, sending e-mails and meeting up in our local communities.
Right now, we have a chance to use people power to get people off the freezing, dark streets tonight. Can you send a quick e-mail?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Thanks for all the good that you do,
Marie, Hannah, Belinda and the 38 Degrees team
Our recession/slump I know is know having an affect on our members- but please remember the plight of many in other countries-the following amplifies.
Greece’s austerity policies could create a crisis of insolvency within the country, undermining the very reason they were implemented – to repay the country’s debt - says the country’s biggest labour confederation.
“I am afraid that we may see a phenomenon that could cause a social explosion,” says Savvas Robolis, scientific director for the Labour Institute of the General Confederation of Workers in Greece (GSEE), the private sector’s confederation of unions. “Right now many people can’t pay their taxes. That’s why state revenue fell 300 million euros ($395m) short of January targets. If that continues, I don’t know if the state will be able to meet its obligations by June or July. It may not have the cash to pay salaries and pensions.”
The state heavily subsidises approximately 1.3 million pensions, according to finance ministry data. It also pays the salaries of almost 800,000 state employees, roughly a quarter of all people still working in the country. Failure to pay those pensions and salaries in full would greatly impact on the state’s own tax revenues, and therefore its ability to maintain payments to international creditors.
Pensions and salaries have already been cut by 40 percent during the crisis, says GSEE’s Labour Institute. A new wave of austerity being implemented this year will raise those cuts to an estimated 50 percent. At the same time, Greeks have faced higher sales tax at the supermarket, higher fuel tax, a new property tax and a ‘solidarity fee’ of 1-3 percent on their salaries.
The squeeze is causing chronic pain. “I don’t see why a person should pay tax to hold onto a home they’ve already spent a lifetime paying off,” says Argyro Syriga, an unemployed mother of one. She inherited a house from her father, but now fears she may lose it. Her power was cut off six weeks ago because she could pay neither the electricity bill nor the property tax that rides on it.
"These measures are unbalanced, unfair and chiefly ineffective. They haven’t brought prospects to the economy, but they have produced plenty of drama in society."
- Vangelis Moutafis, union official
Sent in by the late Ron Dorman our Press and Publicity Officer.
Back to the UK and our finances.
Fundraising is of paramount importance to our organisation, so please send us donations and consider the following.
www.easyfundraising.org.uk
You will need to register your own account and then nominate West Midlands Pensioners' Convention each time you make a purchase online. There are more than 2000 participating retailers including Amazon, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis. Each retailer will donate between 1% and 9% of the purchase price. David our Treasurer will announce further details at the next Regional Council meetings.
Received the following letter regarding the TUC March.
Dear Ivor
Sixteen of Walsall Pensioners marched in London for a Future that Works,this
was particularly successful for us as we were not only interviewed by the Daily
Mirror but had quite an article including pictures in Mondays edition.
This can only highlight the Pensioner movement in the Midlands.
PETER LAST
Copy of the latest news-e-mail.
Dear all,
At the forefront of the Government’s plans to privatise the NHS will be local Clinical Commissioning Groups comprised of groups of GP’s. There are currently three proposed CCG’s in Birmingham, Birmingham and Solihull Cluster- Cross City, Birmingham South and Central, and Sandwell and West Birmingham. There is a CCG for Coventry and Rugby, one for Walsall, Wolverhampton, North Warwickshire and a CCG for Solihull which even has it's own website www.solihullccg.nhs.uk There are others and most are offering differing forms of consultation, which are either proposed or taking place. Please telephone for further information. The full list can be found on the following website: http://www.westmidlands.nhs.uk/WhatWeDo/ClinicalCommissioningGroups.aspx
The CCG’s will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal.They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts.The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, community services, and continuing healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.
The big move to privatisation is the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider’.
Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. Perhaps we could make contact through our branches and affiliated bodies to influence policy decisions and avoid privatisation?
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention really could make a difference and help preserve our NHS, but we must act quickly.
We have the knowledge, experience and the negotiating skills.
Meetings need to be convened to involve local people in campaigning to pressure their CCG’s to make changes to their constitutions. In Birmingham and the West Midlands- plus area, campaign groups need to meet and to make contact with their appropriate local CCG. A first step could be to obtain copies of their draft constitutions.They have a legal responsibility to consult. In some areas we may need to combine with other groups.
An important priority for the campaign as outlined to our Regional Council, is to explain to the public what is happening to their NHS and to get them involved in discussions with their CCG. Please discuss these issues in the relevant branches.
Perhaps we can trigger a debate at our important meeting on Saturday 10th November-1-15pm onwards at Carr's Lane Church Centre. Birmingham. Who Owns the NHS? Full details can be found on our website. Hope this e-mail helps.
Further details also included on the CENTRO/WMPC meeting arranged by CENTRO for 1.30pm to 3.00pm held on Thursday 1st November 2012 for consultation of pensioners problems on the Bus and Rail services within the West Midlands.
Many other issues and up to date news on our website including news from Wolverhampton, the NPC lobby and much more. New articles and photos soon.
Ivor Timson
PS. Please inform me if you require any changes or additions. All local articles and photos appreciated.
Update: it’s working! The petition demanding an investigation into lives put at risk by private health companies is growing fast with over 90,000 signatures so far. Thanks so much for being part of it.
If we can get the petition to 100,000, we will deliver it by hand to a powerful committee of MPs. There’s a great chance that it will convince them to launch a high-profile investigation into private health companies, just like they recently did for tax-dodgers.
Can you help by spreading the word to your friends and family? Please forward this email and ask friends to sign the petition here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Before Christmas, it was revealed that private companies like Serco and Care UK are putting lives in danger. They’ve been cashing in on contracts to provide GP services at the weekend and overnight. Now it looks like they’ve not been doing a proper job - and lives are at risk as a result.
There’s a powerful committee of MPs that has the power to do a proper investigation into their behaviour - and stop them getting further contracts if they’ve been doing a bad job. But there are lots of demands on the committee’s time. They’ll only investigate if they know there’s great public concern.
Together we can show MPs that an investigation is needed now to make sure no more lives are put at risk. The Public Accounts Committee has a strong track record at holding big bosses to account – at the end of last year they grilled Google, Amazon and Starbucks about tax dodging. Now is the time to demand they do the same for the bosses of private health companies.
Please ask your friends and family to help us reach 100,000 signatures by forwarding this email and asking them to click the link below:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Thanks for being involved,
Hannah, Becky, Robin and the 38 Degrees team
News on the EU and Water Bills.
Plans to force water companies to remove traces of pharmaceuticals found in lakes, rivers and seashore waters used in commonly used drugs are being drawn up by the European Commission. Estimates of such an exercise are £20 Billion over 20 years. This would push up the annual cost of water bills for water and sewerage services to around £420.
Whether or not such legislation is necessary, it should be decided by Britain's Government and not by the unelected and unaccountable Commission in Brussels. In addition the cost should be borne by the private water companies.
The Democrat -December 2012
A money printer for us all.
Britain's poorest people face a nightmare of increasing deprivation as coalition cuts bite even deeper this year. Trade Unions and Charities have recently reported their grave concerns. For our failed societal systems and for those in control, it seems they need to resort to quantitative easing, were money is printed to try to save their system and their wealth. For the remainder and the majority of our society, it leads to increased poverty.
Citizens Advice centres throughout the UK have reported that its bureaus are referring more very hungry families to food banks than ever before. And the charity warned numbers will rise further as welfare cuts take billions out of the economy next month.
In another report, Shelter the Housing Charity warned that more than five million families in England face the choice of putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their heads. Four in every 10 families have had to cut down on food spending, because they were struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, according to a YouGov poll of 4,000 families for the charity.
A Trade Union representative said: "The only growth sector is food banks and soup kitchens." We have only had a 20 per cent so far of the cuts planned by the coalition government''. A point consistently argued at our Birmingham and area meetings.
"The cuts to welfare on April 6 2013 will make the poor pay for multi- national violations and a crisis created by the banks.
A TUC Regional Spokesperson also stated: "The impending cuts, on top of already severe reductions in welfare payments, will drive the most vulnerable people into even deeper poverty. Trade Unions, Pensioner groups and Charities throughout the UK are calling for a change of direction.
In Birmingham, whole communities face having to loose their NHS Walk in Centres. Yet another attack upon our precious NHS. The City also is facing unprecedented cuts. Many other areas face a future of even more reductions in services.
Lets dispose of this dismal future, because society can be changed. We can achieve this , but we must be organised. We can achieve a peaceful world and forge a decent future for us all.
One reason, it is occurring today is down to the Government following an austerity policy, which is clearly not working; but suits those that have wealth and power, and not those that have worked there bones throughout their lives. In one form or another, we have all contributed. The vast majority of the country are not tax dodgers or scroungers. The real culprits are mainly the major worldwide companies, who are often literally bankrupt, and rely upon fictitious capital, but still exploit us all.
Perhaps, we could all be provided with a money printer!
The government is to axe an extra £2.5 billion from Britain's overall welfare budget from April 6th 2013. We surely must resist.
For an alternative economic and political analysis and ways forward, please read my earlier posts. We need a more affective strategy and action to counteract all these cuts and the tissues of lies peddled out by the mainstream media and the Government.
The poorest in our society should not pay for a economic slump; caused mainly by the Banks and a social system out of control. Surely a printer for all is in order! We can do much better and create a fair society!
Ivor Timson Msc(Econ)
Anyone wanting advice on the new welfare reforms- please either telephone or e-mail for further information and advice.
The late Ron Dorman asked me to include the following important article.
The Health & Social Care Act
Here are some of the main features of the Lansley Health & Social Care Act presented in bullet point form for clarity. As I get more information (and time) I will add to the notes as necessary.
BMA has said “forcing commissioners of care to tender contracts to any willing provider, including commercial companies could destabilise local health economies and fragment care for patients”. The BMA went on to state that adding price competition to the mix could also allow large commercial companies to enter the NHS market and chase the profitable contracts, using their size to undercut on price, which could ultimately damage local services.
Kieran Walshe, professor of health and management, and Chris Ham, Chief Executive of Kings Trust state “It is difficult to see who is in charge of the NHS”. There are five bodies; Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the Care Equality Commission, NHS Commission Board and Monitor.
David Cameron has set up a separate panel to advise him on the reforms; members of this panel include Lord Crisp (NHS chief executive 2000-2006), Bill Moyes (a former head of Monitor), and the head of global health systems at McKinsey,[21][22] as well as Mark Britnell, the head of health policy at KPMG. Six months previously Britnell had told a conference of private healthcare executives that "In future, the NHS will be a state insurance provider not a state deliverer," and emphasised the role of Lansley's reforms in making this possible: "The NHS will be shown no mercy and the best time to take advantage of this will be in the next couple of years." KPMG issued a press statement on behalf of Britnell on 16 May 2011 stating
"The article in The Observer attributes quotes to me that do not properly reflect discussions held at a private conference last October. Nor was I given the opportunity to respond ahead of publication. I worked in the NHS for twenty years and now work alongside it. I have always been a passionate advocate of the NHS and believe that it has a great future. Like many other countries throughout the world, the pressure facing healthcare funding and provision are enormous. If the NHS is to change and modernise the public, private and voluntary sectors will all need to play their part."
The Future Forum. Professor Steve Field, a GP who chaired the forum, said many of the fears the public and medical profession had about the Health and Social Care Bill had been "justified" as it contained "insufficient safeguards" against private companies exploiting the NHS.
EU involvement in the Health & Social Care Act
I have been asked to provide further information on the Blue Badge scheme and I am happy to provide the following link which provides lots of information.
Blue-Badge-scheme-local-authority-guidance.pdf
460K View Download
Also, our Chairman Syd Ashby informs me that Older people and the Disabled with bus passes will be able to gain a third of train travel without a senior railcard; for a twelve month experimental period. The scheme is being rolled out by the First Great Western and will apply to standard off-peak train fares on journeys between Worcester and Swindon via Stroud and between Westbury and Weymouth. The Department of Transport will be assessing the trial to determine if a more wider and permanent application might be merited. Thanks.
Please e-mail if you require further information and watch this space.
A recent article purports that millions of older people in the UK due to retire over the next few years will face a double hit that is likely to see over 11 billion wiped off their retirement funds.
This figure takes in the impact on pensioners of tax and benefit changes, including the freezing of age-related allowances from April 2013 and the reduction in winter fuel payments, alongside rock bottom interest rates and three rounds of quantitative easing.
Compiled for Saga by experts from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the report concludes that the changes will cost pensioners an average of £1,318 each by 5 April 2014.
Dr Ros Altmann, director general of Saga, says: "Pensioners are being hammered. They didn't cause our economic meltdown yet they have been paying a heavy price as we try to fix it and they face an even tighter financial squeeze in future.
"Those retiring now are the biggest losers in life's pension lottery as tax and benefit changes will compound the misery wreaked by paltry savings rates and overshooting inflation."
The report shows that the 40% of single pensioners who sit in the lowest income bracket are forced to get by on just £8,034 a year with couples living on just £13,883. The average income of the next 40% of pensioners is £13,104 for single households and £23,998 for couples, while even the wealthiest 20% typically only receive £20,332, well below the average national income.
Altmann adds: "Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of pounds into financial markets and bank balance sheets it would have been much better sending cheques to everyone to encourage them to spend.
"If older generations felt confident again, they would splash out and boost economic growth. If we keep hammering them, these grey pounds will be wasted."
Alliance Trust Research Centre's study of inflation rates affecting different age groups shows that over the past two years, pensioners have suffered a higher rate of inflation.
A fightback by the growing pensioners movement is required.
Ivor Timson
At a recent Executive Committee our Secretary and Ron Dorman were asked to write an article on surveillance, here is the contribution from Ron our Press and Publicity Officer. Please feel free to join in this important debate.
Surveillance by the state of people considered “dangerous” is nothing new but was confined to comparatively few people in the past. However, with the explosion of technology in the last two decades the situation has changed dramatically. We now have such things as the internet, mobile phones and satellites. These inventions have brought about massive changes in communications and the way we live. But not all of this has been for our good.
The new techniques in communications has also made it possible to check what everyone does and says and providing a scapegoat can be found for doing so it will be done. Hence the “reason” for making Muslims the “baddies” - this not to say some Muslims may not be baddies just as in every other walk of life.
However, this new kind surveillance started before the “Muslim problem” way back in 1985 with the Schengen agreement signed by Germany, France and the Benelux countries and aimed at mutual recognition of visas between these countries and strengthened police co-operation. Schengen has since been integrated into the EU Amsterdam Treaty.
Also, a system called Echelon has been developed, designed as much for non-military use as military – for governments, organisations and businesses throughout the world - with Britain as one of the main participants. Thomas Mathiesen, Professor of law, University of Oslo in “On Globalisation of Control: Towards an Integrated Surveillance System in Europe” quotes Steve Wight as follows: “The Echelon system works by indiscriminately intercepting very large quantities of communications and then siphoning out what is valuable using artificial intelligence aides like Menox to find key words. Five nations share the results.... Each of the five centres supply “dictionaries” to the other four of key words. Phrases, people and places to “tag” and the tagged intercept is forwarded straight to the requesting country...”
Some people may say “If you have nothing to hide why worry?” The fact is all of us have private lives we wish no-one else to know about. But more importantly what may considered innocent today by the state may be considered a threat tomorrow – like a mass movement to get rid of our reactionary Con-Dem government – and should be opposed.
The late Ron Dorman 21-05
I have received several responses to this article and after gaining permission from the senders, I intend to publish, Thanks. Ivor Timson
The BBC have allowed me to print the following very up to date information on the question of pensions.
Please visit the BBC site for full information.
The government is exploring new types of pension schemes that would give more security to retiring workers.
Minister for Pensions, Steve Webb, says the government is looking at several options that might become, what he terms, a "defined ambition plan".
The idea is to replace final-salary pensions, which have become too expensive for many private firms.
The minister has been speaking to companies about creating a new framework for pension schemes.
Nick Clegg has called for the NHS to be 'broken up' and said the Lib Dems should consider replacing it with a European-style insurance system.
In a little-noticed interview before he took over as leader, he said the party should consider a social insurance system to replace the present tax-funded Health Service. The comments raise huge question-marks over the Lib Dems' commitment to such a cherished institution as the NHS. Is this true? It certainly has not been denied.
As a lifetime internationalist, Ron I will of course publish this and offer details of the following meeting:
NSSN Meeting 17 Nov MIDLANDS NSSN Conference Unite offices, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY. 12.00-16.00. Speakers include Joe Simpson, Assistant General Secretary POA, Lee Barron CWU Midlands regional secretary, Kevin Greenway PCS national executive Dave Auger UNISON Nick Harrison FBU & workshops!
Do look after yourself, but I am in catch up mode at present, but you know all my promises will be kept.
Solidarity with the workers of Europe. The Networks sounds good. Ivor Timson
John Manning- Bedworth
Snippets of information.
A new report from the NPC is being launched at the beginning of September to highlight the importance and value of universal pensioner benefits, such as concessionary bus travel and the winter fuel allowance.
The report, entitled Sir Alan Sugar and the missing bus pass, challenges a number of recent claims from politicians and think-tanks that older people’s benefits should not be given to those who are better-off.
The NPC believes this is being used as a smokescreen to introduce wide-spread means-testing which would withdraw support from any-one not on Pension Credit with an annual income of little more than £7500.
The report also highlights that the revenue collected by the state from older people, either directly financial through a range of taxes or through costs that older people bear that would other-wise be paid by the state, adds up to a staggering £175.8bn every year, compared to total expenditure on older people through pensions, welfare payments and health care of £136.2bn.
The overall, annual net contribution by older people to the economy is therefore almost £40bn – and is estimated to rise to almost £75bn by 2030.
Most importantly, this is more than enough to pay for the £8bn worth of age-related benefits that are now being questioned.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Many of these universal benefits have been introduced over time because successive governments were reluctant to improve the state pension system.”
“Having one of the least adequate pensions in Europe has almost forced governments to provide additional support to its older population, or witness the inevitable rise in pensioner hardship.”
In a further move against universal benefits, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary is said to be planning to introduce a temperature test for the winter fuel allowance which may mean that pensioners in southern England could lose out if temperatures go above a certain level.
The NPC is urging all pensioners to support a rally and lobby of Parliament on 31 October 2012. Please join us . Ivor Timson
The NPC’s latest Campaign! Bulletin is now available. The October edition includes Nick Clegg’s attack on universal pensioner benefits such as the winter fuel allowance and free bus travel, the criticism of the Treasury by former care minister Paul Burstow, the ongoing campaign to promote the NPC’s Dignity Code and the launch of the new Generations United campaign. You can download a copy of the Campaign! Bulletin here.
Save Our Buses
The NPC is a member of the Campaign for Better Transport, which is currently running a Save Our Buses campaign to make the case for buses to government and to support bus users to defend their local services.
You can find out how to get involved by visiting their website at www.bettertransport.org.uk.
Just received this latest response from 38 degrees on the NHS.
Dear Ivor,
It’s just been revealed that two big private healthcare companies are plotting to rig the future of our NHS. On Tuesday, Capita and United Healthcare are planning to schmooze leading GPs at a conference in London - the GPs now in charge of deciding the future of local health services. [1]
The big private companies have got the money to gain influence and access. But together, we can use people power to level the playing field - and invite doctors to our own patient-sponsored event down the road, just after their conference finishes.
Capita and United Healthcare hope GPs will stick around for free drinks on them. Instead we can tempt them over to a very different kind of event! They’ll have the chance to hear from experts explaining the role patients can play in helping to protect our NHS - and why they need to listen to us, not just big business.
Can you chip in £1 to become an event sponsor? We'll put up the names of all the sponsors as GPs arrive at the event. The contrast with the big money corporate sponsorship over the road couldn't be clearer. And the GPs will see just how many of us are ready to keep up the pressure to safeguard our health service.
Are you in? Click here now to donate £1 and add your name to the list of sponsors:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
Tuesday's event is a prime opportunity to start a new conversation with GP leaders. Lansley’s NHS changes mean crucial decisions about the future of our NHS are now in these GPs' hands. [2] We can show them that 38 Degrees members will be watching their decisions carefully - and that we plan to do all we can to protect our NHS.
We don’t have a lot of time to pull this together. But that’s the power of our movement. 38 Degrees members can move quickly when we get a chance like this to stand up for our NHS. Already we’ve got a venue, and a panel of healthcare professionals and experts lined up to speak. Zoe Williams, a Guardian columnist who has written about our NHS campaign has agreed to chair. Now it just needs you to make it happen.
A few weeks ago 38 Degrees members voted overwhelmingly to carry on campaigning to save our NHS. This is our chance to get down to business.
Please help show the GPs that the future of the NHS doesn't have to be all about private companies and big money sponsorship - chip in £1 now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
ge.
Our Future.
It is a truism that every age is an age of change. But what I hope we can do in this short letter is to capture the speed and the quality of the revolutions we’ve all experienced; in our communities, in the world, and between the generations. In my view of the wider world, these are the things that matter, and it’s right that we can try to trace some of the most important changes that have turned the post-war country that welcomed us to our unfettered and stalling globalized world, which seems in so many ways to be a different place and clearly now in trouble. But will all this conflict, price rises, instability bring us all together as it did for many after the last world war? Will it bring about new and progressive changes? I rather think it is back to the drawing board, to change things ourselves, if our Grandchildren have any hope for the future. Lets not just contemplate change, but transform our communities into a new truism.
E Williams- Coventry
Women's pay and employment update: a public/private sector comparison
Report for Women's Conference 2012
A TUC report to the Women's Conference 2012 highlights the employment challenges currently facing women.
The report shows that with many thousands of skilled professional women in the public sector set to lose their jobs, the concentration of female private sector employment in low-skilled and poorly paid sectors poses a big challenge to their pay and career prospects.
Despite decades of progress, women's employment in the private sector remains concentrated around the five 'cs' - caring, catering, cashiering, cleaning and clerical work. As a result the gender pay gap for women working full time is twice as high in the private sector (18.4 per cent) as it is in the public sector (9.2 per cent).
Download Women's Conference Report 2012 [PDF]
Fair Pensions For- All Day of Action.
A number of trade unions took strike action in November, in defence of their occupational pensions. The NPC believed this was an opportunity to link up the campaign to include the state pension, as well as occupational pensions. With this in mind, the NPC gave its support to the day of action and encouraged supporters to attend events that are taking place across the country. We tried to show that this was a campaign for all pensions – state, private and public. The day of action was hugely successful. See our many photographs on this page and our homepage.
In a further development on pensions, an article in the Times recently - 18th November 2011, suggests that the uprating figure for pensions and benefits might be the average over six months and 4.5 % rather than the September CPI figure of 5.2%. It is therefore vital that we respond and send an email - and encourage others to do so - stating our opposition to such a move. Thank you for the considerable support, which I am convinced changed the Government policy on this issue for 2012-13.
It seems that this will not 'at present' be adopted and I feel sure our e-mails, lobbies and protests helped. Campaigns can be very affective and thanks to everyone who responded. Apparently there was a huge response.12- 02- 2012.
Please view and consider raising the motion sent by David Kippest-Unison on the important topic of the National Care Service. Details on our news-campaign page.
Ivor Timson
And now for another letter from one of our active and respected members.
Time to give pensioners fairness on allowances.
Regarding celebrities and millionaires of pensionable age, that are giving their winter fuel allowance to a fund to help those less fortunate than themselves. I have no qualms about all that.
It is their money and they can do whatever they like with it. But why do they make a song and dance about it? I f they want to give it to a charity of their choice, give it to a charity, full stop.
In fact,this country has become a charity shop and a profitable haven for all the world. This Government is giving another 20 million to foreign aid, some deserved, but some to countries that are better off than we are.
The pensioners of this country have had their winter fuel allowance cut by £50- £100, and we all know the cost of fuel has risen, yet we are the ones who have the reductions at the time we need it most. Perhaps those celebrities and millionaires could join us in our campaign for an above the poverty- line pension of £178 per week.
They can do this by supporting the National Pensioners Convention which vigorously campaigns on such issues. It is about time we looked after those that have given so much throughout their lives.
On that note as a member of the Wolverhampton branch, I wish everyone a warm, happy and productive 2012.
Mrs P A Jordon, Press Officer, Wolverhampton Branch.
Received the following article from Ron Dorman, which I am pleased to include.
NHS: Time to ACT!
Crunch time for the NHS: in the next few weeks the NHS as we know it will either be destroyed by the vicious Con-Dem Government’s Health & Social Care Bill or the bill will be serious modified or killed off. Kill it!
Every single health organisation from the BMA to the Royal College of Nursing and health unions such as Unison are totally opposed to the health bill. Even the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, Tory, Stephen Dorrell- is against it. Why such opposition?
Because the Bill seeks to:
Unfortunately, Ed Miliband , “Leader” of the Labour Party, is not giving any real lead in opposing Lansley’s Health Bill and neither are some trade union leaders who say they are opposed to it. So, what to do? Here are a few suggestions,
Please also consider writing letters to the press both locally and nationally.
The late Ron Dorman.
Just a few snippets of imformation from Walsall following a demonstration against Councillors allowances being raised while jobs and care services are being slashed.
The campaign was successful and the allowances frozen, but the disgraceful cuts continue.
Peter Last- WMPC Vice Chair
Cathy Come Home
After including the details on our news-campaigns page about a housing campaign, I felt compelled to add the following as my first contribution in the form of a short 'article'.
As an aside from the campaign, it is interesting to me that Ken Loach is a speaker at some of the planned meetings. Apart from being born in my hometown, I was given the 'Ken Loach at the BBC' Video box set for Christmas. This contains Cathy Come Home, which in 1966 was watched by twelve million people- a quarter of the population at the time; and exposed the poverty and homelessness of the day. Any return to this situation should be vociferously campaigned against. The film provoked major public and social discussion and challenged the accepted practice and conventions of television drama. I remember it very well and it revives memories of my early days in trying to influence and change society and the community I lived in.
Ivor Timson - North Warwickshire and WMPC Webmaster.
Ladies of the Midlands. 24-02-2012
A contribution from Pat O' Dowd- Chair- Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention.
The National Pensioners Convention would like to take up the challenge for the saving of the NHS. Be like June Hautot and let them know where to shove their NHS reforms. The Women can do this! Pat O' Dowd.
Chris Smith our Secretary has asked for the following to be included:
The item below "Incomes Tracker" which is shown via the link allows individuals to see the real reduction in their incomes. This can also be applied to the yearly amount an individual pensioner receives. Introducing the Incomes Tracker – how might you have lost out?
You can use our incomes tracker to see what you might be earning today, had wages for your job had the same economic share as they had in the 70s.
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-20554-f0.cfm Our thanks to the TUC.
The March Started at Transport House, Transport & General Workers Offices, Broad Street, Birmingham.
Our latest campaign in 2014 is against the Centro public transport cuts. Here is a copy of our latest Press release, which includes our next campaign stop. Join us.
The pledge, by David Cameron, on the future of our state pensions and the triple lock mechanism, is of course welcome. Our suspicion is that this is a cynical attempt to win the support and votes of pensioners.
We are also concerned about the intentions of George Osborne of further savage cuts and any plans for Universal Benefits.
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention are seeking assurances from all the major parties, that our bus passes, winter Fuel allowances, TV licences and indeed free prescriptions will be secure, if our regions pensioners choose to vote for them.
We in the West Midlands Pensioners Convention, will campaign vociferously to protect our Pensioner Universal entitlements.
Our immediate concern is to oppose any CENTRO Cuts to Pensioners free travel on our regions rail and tram service, and we urge CENTRO not to cease funding or to reduce our vital Ring and Ride Service.
Our Campaigns continue and our next meeting is on the 30th January 2014 at Transport House, Broad Street, Birmingham- 11-0am to 1-0pm. Please join us at least for a coffee or tea. Thanks.
Contacts: Press and Publicity Officer:
Brian Allbutt : 07586872063
E mail [email protected]
Regional Secretary: Ivor Timson: 07983559612
E mail [email protected]
Thanks for the support. All future letters, articles and discussion can be viewed on this page. Please consider writing a short article on matters of interest.Thanks.
We welcome articles and contributions from all Pensioner groups in the Midlands.
I have now included below the NPC's initial analysis of social care funding which you can now download/print.
NPC Social Care Briefing
Please find attached the NPC’s analysis of the recent announcement on social care funding.
Neil Duncan-Jordan
National Officer
NPC
Social Care funding reform briefing paper February 2014.doc
111K View Download
The following reform does nothing to improve the quality of services currently on offer. It was announced a rise from £23,250 to £123,000 in the amount of assets people have before having to contribute to the costs of nursing care. Please see our full updated analysis.
The cap figure is so much higher than that recommended by a 2011 review, which said it should be set at £35,000. Perhaps yet another hit on the least better off in today's society.
Our National Pensioners Convention released the following press release:
Social care plan lacks sufficient funding to make a difference to people’s lives.
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has described the government’s plan to reform social care funding as “about as credible as a Findus Lasagne” because it lacks sufficient funding to tackle the problems that pensioners face.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “The social care system needs urgent and radical reform, but these proposals simply tinker at the edges. The current system is dogged by means-testing, a postcode lottery of charges, a rationing of services and poor standards and nothing in the plan looks like it will address any of these concerns. Setting a lifetime cap on care costs of £75,000 will help just 10% of those needing care, whilst the majority will be left to struggle on with a third rate service. The government needs to be much braver and bolder if it it really going to sort out the problems – otherwise in a few years time we’ll be back again having another look at the issue. Using inheritance tax or money saved from the state pension system simply won’t raise enough money to bring about the change that’s needed. It’s time we merged health and social care and had a truly integrated system which was funded through general taxation – like the NHS – rather than put all the responsibility on pensioners and their families. Getting older and needing care isn’t a lifestyle choice – so why should the cost of care not be shared by society as a whole? Frankly, the plan as it stands is about as a credible as a Findus Lasagne.”
Please also consider signing a anti-cuts petition. Click below for full details.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40451
Adult and Communities service review - Neither a Green Paper nor a Dialogue
The problem confronting Sir Albert Bore is how to cut even deeper into social care services where he knows that pound by pound he will hurt the most vulnerable in our city. An existing £46m is being cut annually from the adult social care budget and from 2014-15 Bore wants to increase this total to £75m.
The Labour leadership has embarked on a series of fundamental service reviews across all the services run by the Council and is publishing the results as a series of Green Papers. The Adult and Communities Green Paper has now been published and the Council has embarked on a series of ‘Dialogue’ meetings with service users and carers over the summer to sound out these latest cut proposals.
Anyone who has read a Government Green paper will know it is a substantial document with detailed discussion of policy options. Apparently Sir Albert doesn’t want us to be bogged down in details, the specific proposals involving £29m worth of cuts consist of just half a page of a very short seven page paper.
Members of the pubic attending the dialogue meeting struggle to understand what is being proposed by the council, and most importantly what it means for the services they use and how it might affect their lives. But what Council officers have been told by service users at these meetings is how much the existing cuts are already affecting peoples lives.
Carers, often elderly, have repeatedly complained about the increasing difficulty of accessing short breaks for the adult children they care for. Contacting social workers and the time involved in waiting for assessments and for care services was again a familiar concern. One carer complained about finding a home carer employed by a private home care company contracted by the Council asleep on his mothers sofa.
The proposals themselves involve yet more privatisation of care services where the Council will no longer directly provide any services and move to that of a commissioning authority only. Birmingham has closed and outsourced all its residential homes for adults in recent years, it is now proposing to ‘externalise’ its remaining specialist care services and to stop providing all respite care.
The Green Paper refers to a ‘demand management’ approach where it identifies the most expensive groups of service users requiring the most expensive care, referred to in the Green Paper as ‘high cost, high end care’, with the objective of reducing the costs of care for that group.
The Green Paper and ‘Dialogue’ meetings are an attempt to prepare the public for ‘bad news’ ahead of setting the Council budget for 2014-15, which will begin in earnest in the Autumn. The Green Papers are to be discussed at Council Ward Committees in August and September and it is important that people attend and raise their concerns.
Sir Albert Bore has told us that his raison d'être is ‘protecting the most vulnerable’, what he needs to told loud and clear and by as many people as possible that the cuts to adult social care are hurting not protecting the most vulnerable in Birmingham!
Jolyon Jones
I promised a little humour, so here we have a little for starters. Sent in by Catherine and Roy.
The elders of a church in the Bible belt of southern America decided that the outside of their wooden church was looking decidedly shabby and that it needed a new coat of paint.
One of the members of the church, Amos Filch who was a painter, bid for the job and won.
The scaffolding was duly erected and he commenced work.
As he was near to finishing the job he chuckled to himself that they would never know that he had thinned down the paint so that he only needed 20 gallons instead of the 30 gallons he was charging for and so making a tidy profit.
Just then the sky turned black and the heavens opened up and washed away most of the paint; a bolt of lightning hit the church spire causing Amos to fall off the scaffolding onto the grass below.
The clouds parted and a shaft of light shone on Amos. Being a religious man Amos knew he was in trouble with the Lord so scrambling to his knees he prayed, “I'm sorry oh Lord, please forgive me, what can I do to make amends”?
A voice boomed from the heavens,
“ REPAINT, REPAINT AND THIN NO MORE ''.
There is a discussion paper on making an alternative response to the Adult and Communities Green Paper here:
http://communitiesagainstthecuts.com/2013/08/15/the-future-of-care-services-in-the-city-time-for-a-real-debate/
Over fifty thousand marched and joined the rally at Manchester on the 29th September 2013 in support of the NHS. Many of the Pensioners Convention members were in attendance, in what the Police described as the largest march seen in Manchester.
The demonstration aimed to highlight the impact of government policies on jobs and spending across the health service, as well as the “rapid selloff” of the most lucrative parts of the NHS to private healthcare companies.
They were in Manchester to protest against the privatisation of the NHS by the Tories and their Lib Dem partners. The growing mood of resistance was fully in evidence. The march wound through the streets for three hours. At its head was public-service Union Unison, a contingent which was itself thousands strong. A huge display of strength was shown by people of all ages. Following the march union leaders were due to address a rally alongside appearances by musicians.
Still lot’s more to say on spying including the news that British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden. And as I type, the UK is trying to block minor reforms of protection by the European Union. Again very frightening, but some organisations are working on solving the problem in our interests. More soon. Ivor Timson
The National Health Service: something we we all depend upon to some degree (even if we hold “private” health insurance), could soon be just a fond memory as we are forced to watch it being dismantled and its place being taken by a profit-based health market, where only money talks.
This will surely impact upon us all and impact upon services for the older person and the wider communities.The Government’s new plans for the NHS could spell the end of our precious and pioneering ‘free for all at the point of need’ principled service. It could be turned into a cherry-picking, maximised-profit-driven free-for-all in the very worst sense.
The Clinical Commissioning Groups will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal. They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts this year (2013). The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, Community Services, and Continuing Healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.The big move to privatisation could well be the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider.Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. We need to have a say as the CCG’s are meeting now.
It is not too late. If you want a National Health Service that is meaningful, then be prepared to do it service and to be of service to it: it’s mutually beneficial. Ivor Timson- North Warwickshire
2013 International Women’s Day Event
Asbestos and Women’s Health
An Ongoing Health and Safety Disaster
The West Midlands Hazards Trust and Asbestos Support West Midlands invited all women to this
International Women’s Day event. Asbestos related diseases have traditionally been associated
with men, the truth is asbestos and other occupational health dangers are having a disastrous
affect on women’s health. The day examined the problem and set out what could be done. It
featured expert presentations and gave plenty of opportunities for debate and discussion.
Speakers included:
Laurie Kazan-Allen, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat
Hilda Palmer, Hazards Campaign and Families Against Corporate Killers.
Plus a rare showing of the film Alice a Fight for Life.
The event was supported and sponsored by::
Birmingham Unison, UCATT Midlands Region, PCS Midlands and the Midlands TUC
Sent in by Yvonne Washbourne.
Pensioner group slams Lord’s idea of “National Service for the over 60s”
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has criticised a suggestion from Lord Bichard that those who have just retired should be forced to undertake voluntary work or risk losing part of their pension.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “This amounts to little more than National Service for the over 60s and is absolutely outrageous. Those who have paid their national insurance contributions for 30 or more years are entitled to receive their state pension and there should be no attempt to put further barriers in their way. We already have one of the lowest state pensions in Europe and one in five older people in Britain live below the poverty line. This suggestion from Lord Bichard would only make that situation worse. But the real scandal is that he hasn’t understood the value that pensioners already bring to our society – contributing £40bn extra every year in unpaid volunteering and caring. Without the army of older volunteers many parts of our society would begin to crumble. Lord Bichard’s comments are also extremely divisive – trying to pitch younger people against older people, when the truth is that the real division in our society is between rich and poor. Frankly, Lord Bichard needs to think twice before making such silly and ill-informed remarks”. Press Release.
New article just received.
Our NHS is slipping over the abyss into the jaws of the profit greedy profiteers, with just two months to go before the biggest re-organisation in the history of the NHS. The adverse implications, for senior citizens, of all these changes is very worrying. We face being discriminated against and excluded from a whole range of medical treatments; with only the better off senior citizens able to pay for and access an increasingly privatised Health Service.
A good indicator of these concerns, are reports of falling staff levels and real problems with the provision of quality patient care, the Health and Social Care Act will do nothing to address these issues. This as been highlighted, again by the BBC Inside Out investigation which detailed that of 12,000 reported incidents of inadequate patient care; 40% were due to bedsores!
Having worked in this area myself, I know at first hand, that the only way to prevent and effectively deal with bedsores is through effective monitoring and re-positioning of patients at regular intervals throughout the day /night. This is particularly the case where patients are unable to move themselves whilst in a bed or chair, which is often the case where someone is obese, is hospitalised as the result of a fall, severe arthritis and many other conditions that are often associated with those of us who are increasing in years.
In the West Midlands we already have the highest number of reported incidents of poor prevention and treatment of bedsores throughout the NHS. With Clinical Commissioning Groups operating to budgets set by NHS Commissioning Boards dominated by Private Sector Consultancies; there is very little likelihood that the necessary staffing levels will be funded to deal with issues such as bedsores.The issue of patient bedsores is just one more reason for fighting to keep our NHS Public. As the Regional Secretary said in his new year address 'maybe pensioners need to return from their self-imposed retreat into exclusive retirement'
Get involved in the campaigns to Save Our NHS- below are some organisations we can support.
www.38degrees.org.uk
http://www.saveournhs-wm.org.uk/
http://www.keepournhspublic.com
http://www.nationalhealthaction.org.uk/
Brian Allbutt- Birmingham.
Must include the following letter due to the cold weather conditions we are currently experiencing.
Dear Ivor,
Tonight, people without a home may need to sleep out in the freezing cold, desperately trying to keep warm on the street. It’ll be below zero – and that might mean not waking up in the morning. [1]
When it gets this cold, local councils are meant to activate an emergency plan to find people sleeping rough and get them into the warm. [2] Some councils are moving fast to save lives. But others may be dragging their heels instead of working quickly to find the people in danger.
Could you send a quick email to your local councillors to ask what they’re doing to help get people off the streets tonight?
It’s incredibly easy to email your councillors using the 38 Degrees website.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
If your local councillors aren’t doing much, lots of emails from 38 Degrees members asking about the emergency plan could be just the kick they need.
As the snow falls, the best councils have staff on the phone getting different departments to work together. They’re using camp beds and community centres to help people with nowhere to go keep out of the deadly cold. [3]
If lots of us send e-mails today, we can show our councillors we want them to act fast, and let them know it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to save lives.
We’ll find your local councillors from your postcode, and there’s a template e-mail you can use if you’re not sure what to say. It only takes 2 mins and it could make all the difference in your local area:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Together, 38 Degrees members use people power to change things for the better. Whether it’s banding together to protect the NHS we love or standing up to the power and greed of Rupert Murdoch, we change things in the real world by signing petitions, sending e-mails and meeting up in our local communities.
Right now, we have a chance to use people power to get people off the freezing, dark streets tonight. Can you send a quick e-mail?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/cold-emergency
Thanks for all the good that you do,
Marie, Hannah, Belinda and the 38 Degrees team
Our recession/slump I know is know having an affect on our members- but please remember the plight of many in other countries-the following amplifies.
Greece’s austerity policies could create a crisis of insolvency within the country, undermining the very reason they were implemented – to repay the country’s debt - says the country’s biggest labour confederation.
“I am afraid that we may see a phenomenon that could cause a social explosion,” says Savvas Robolis, scientific director for the Labour Institute of the General Confederation of Workers in Greece (GSEE), the private sector’s confederation of unions. “Right now many people can’t pay their taxes. That’s why state revenue fell 300 million euros ($395m) short of January targets. If that continues, I don’t know if the state will be able to meet its obligations by June or July. It may not have the cash to pay salaries and pensions.”
The state heavily subsidises approximately 1.3 million pensions, according to finance ministry data. It also pays the salaries of almost 800,000 state employees, roughly a quarter of all people still working in the country. Failure to pay those pensions and salaries in full would greatly impact on the state’s own tax revenues, and therefore its ability to maintain payments to international creditors.
Pensions and salaries have already been cut by 40 percent during the crisis, says GSEE’s Labour Institute. A new wave of austerity being implemented this year will raise those cuts to an estimated 50 percent. At the same time, Greeks have faced higher sales tax at the supermarket, higher fuel tax, a new property tax and a ‘solidarity fee’ of 1-3 percent on their salaries.
The squeeze is causing chronic pain. “I don’t see why a person should pay tax to hold onto a home they’ve already spent a lifetime paying off,” says Argyro Syriga, an unemployed mother of one. She inherited a house from her father, but now fears she may lose it. Her power was cut off six weeks ago because she could pay neither the electricity bill nor the property tax that rides on it.
"These measures are unbalanced, unfair and chiefly ineffective. They haven’t brought prospects to the economy, but they have produced plenty of drama in society."
- Vangelis Moutafis, union official
Sent in by the late Ron Dorman our Press and Publicity Officer.
Back to the UK and our finances.
Fundraising is of paramount importance to our organisation, so please send us donations and consider the following.
www.easyfundraising.org.uk
You will need to register your own account and then nominate West Midlands Pensioners' Convention each time you make a purchase online. There are more than 2000 participating retailers including Amazon, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis. Each retailer will donate between 1% and 9% of the purchase price. David our Treasurer will announce further details at the next Regional Council meetings.
Received the following letter regarding the TUC March.
Dear Ivor
Sixteen of Walsall Pensioners marched in London for a Future that Works,this
was particularly successful for us as we were not only interviewed by the Daily
Mirror but had quite an article including pictures in Mondays edition.
This can only highlight the Pensioner movement in the Midlands.
PETER LAST
Copy of the latest news-e-mail.
Dear all,
At the forefront of the Government’s plans to privatise the NHS will be local Clinical Commissioning Groups comprised of groups of GP’s. There are currently three proposed CCG’s in Birmingham, Birmingham and Solihull Cluster- Cross City, Birmingham South and Central, and Sandwell and West Birmingham. There is a CCG for Coventry and Rugby, one for Walsall, Wolverhampton, North Warwickshire and a CCG for Solihull which even has it's own website www.solihullccg.nhs.uk There are others and most are offering differing forms of consultation, which are either proposed or taking place. Please telephone for further information. The full list can be found on the following website: http://www.westmidlands.nhs.uk/WhatWeDo/ClinicalCommissioningGroups.aspx
The CCG’s will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal.They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts.The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, community services, and continuing healthcare, Mental Health and other important services.
The big move to privatisation is the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider’.
Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. Perhaps we could make contact through our branches and affiliated bodies to influence policy decisions and avoid privatisation?
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention really could make a difference and help preserve our NHS, but we must act quickly.
We have the knowledge, experience and the negotiating skills.
Meetings need to be convened to involve local people in campaigning to pressure their CCG’s to make changes to their constitutions. In Birmingham and the West Midlands- plus area, campaign groups need to meet and to make contact with their appropriate local CCG. A first step could be to obtain copies of their draft constitutions.They have a legal responsibility to consult. In some areas we may need to combine with other groups.
An important priority for the campaign as outlined to our Regional Council, is to explain to the public what is happening to their NHS and to get them involved in discussions with their CCG. Please discuss these issues in the relevant branches.
Perhaps we can trigger a debate at our important meeting on Saturday 10th November-1-15pm onwards at Carr's Lane Church Centre. Birmingham. Who Owns the NHS? Full details can be found on our website. Hope this e-mail helps.
Further details also included on the CENTRO/WMPC meeting arranged by CENTRO for 1.30pm to 3.00pm held on Thursday 1st November 2012 for consultation of pensioners problems on the Bus and Rail services within the West Midlands.
Many other issues and up to date news on our website including news from Wolverhampton, the NPC lobby and much more. New articles and photos soon.
Ivor Timson
PS. Please inform me if you require any changes or additions. All local articles and photos appreciated.
Update: it’s working! The petition demanding an investigation into lives put at risk by private health companies is growing fast with over 90,000 signatures so far. Thanks so much for being part of it.
If we can get the petition to 100,000, we will deliver it by hand to a powerful committee of MPs. There’s a great chance that it will convince them to launch a high-profile investigation into private health companies, just like they recently did for tax-dodgers.
Can you help by spreading the word to your friends and family? Please forward this email and ask friends to sign the petition here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Before Christmas, it was revealed that private companies like Serco and Care UK are putting lives in danger. They’ve been cashing in on contracts to provide GP services at the weekend and overnight. Now it looks like they’ve not been doing a proper job - and lives are at risk as a result.
There’s a powerful committee of MPs that has the power to do a proper investigation into their behaviour - and stop them getting further contracts if they’ve been doing a bad job. But there are lots of demands on the committee’s time. They’ll only investigate if they know there’s great public concern.
Together we can show MPs that an investigation is needed now to make sure no more lives are put at risk. The Public Accounts Committee has a strong track record at holding big bosses to account – at the end of last year they grilled Google, Amazon and Starbucks about tax dodging. Now is the time to demand they do the same for the bosses of private health companies.
Please ask your friends and family to help us reach 100,000 signatures by forwarding this email and asking them to click the link below:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-out-of-hours
Thanks for being involved,
Hannah, Becky, Robin and the 38 Degrees team
News on the EU and Water Bills.
Plans to force water companies to remove traces of pharmaceuticals found in lakes, rivers and seashore waters used in commonly used drugs are being drawn up by the European Commission. Estimates of such an exercise are £20 Billion over 20 years. This would push up the annual cost of water bills for water and sewerage services to around £420.
Whether or not such legislation is necessary, it should be decided by Britain's Government and not by the unelected and unaccountable Commission in Brussels. In addition the cost should be borne by the private water companies.
The Democrat -December 2012
A money printer for us all.
Britain's poorest people face a nightmare of increasing deprivation as coalition cuts bite even deeper this year. Trade Unions and Charities have recently reported their grave concerns. For our failed societal systems and for those in control, it seems they need to resort to quantitative easing, were money is printed to try to save their system and their wealth. For the remainder and the majority of our society, it leads to increased poverty.
Citizens Advice centres throughout the UK have reported that its bureaus are referring more very hungry families to food banks than ever before. And the charity warned numbers will rise further as welfare cuts take billions out of the economy next month.
In another report, Shelter the Housing Charity warned that more than five million families in England face the choice of putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their heads. Four in every 10 families have had to cut down on food spending, because they were struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, according to a YouGov poll of 4,000 families for the charity.
A Trade Union representative said: "The only growth sector is food banks and soup kitchens." We have only had a 20 per cent so far of the cuts planned by the coalition government''. A point consistently argued at our Birmingham and area meetings.
"The cuts to welfare on April 6 2013 will make the poor pay for multi- national violations and a crisis created by the banks.
A TUC Regional Spokesperson also stated: "The impending cuts, on top of already severe reductions in welfare payments, will drive the most vulnerable people into even deeper poverty. Trade Unions, Pensioner groups and Charities throughout the UK are calling for a change of direction.
In Birmingham, whole communities face having to loose their NHS Walk in Centres. Yet another attack upon our precious NHS. The City also is facing unprecedented cuts. Many other areas face a future of even more reductions in services.
Lets dispose of this dismal future, because society can be changed. We can achieve this , but we must be organised. We can achieve a peaceful world and forge a decent future for us all.
One reason, it is occurring today is down to the Government following an austerity policy, which is clearly not working; but suits those that have wealth and power, and not those that have worked there bones throughout their lives. In one form or another, we have all contributed. The vast majority of the country are not tax dodgers or scroungers. The real culprits are mainly the major worldwide companies, who are often literally bankrupt, and rely upon fictitious capital, but still exploit us all.
Perhaps, we could all be provided with a money printer!
The government is to axe an extra £2.5 billion from Britain's overall welfare budget from April 6th 2013. We surely must resist.
For an alternative economic and political analysis and ways forward, please read my earlier posts. We need a more affective strategy and action to counteract all these cuts and the tissues of lies peddled out by the mainstream media and the Government.
The poorest in our society should not pay for a economic slump; caused mainly by the Banks and a social system out of control. Surely a printer for all is in order! We can do much better and create a fair society!
Ivor Timson Msc(Econ)
Anyone wanting advice on the new welfare reforms- please either telephone or e-mail for further information and advice.
The late Ron Dorman asked me to include the following important article.
The Health & Social Care Act
Here are some of the main features of the Lansley Health & Social Care Act presented in bullet point form for clarity. As I get more information (and time) I will add to the notes as necessary.
- The Act represents the most extensive reorganisation of the NHS since it was formed in 1948 and could mean the end of the NHS as we know it.
- The Act only applies to England.
- The Secretary of State for Health gives up the duty to promote a comprehensive service in England. It is replaced with; “to act with a view to securing comprehensive services”, a much weaker statement.
- Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are to go at the end of March 2013.
- SHAs and PCTs are to be replaced by hundreds of general practice commissioning consortiums which all practices must join.
- The commissioning consortiums will be called Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and be given £60 - £80bn for “commissioning”. As incorporated bodies CCGs will not be directly controlled by the secretary of state for health and may enter into commercial contracts with “any willing provider” for all health services. They will also set terms and conditions for staff and thus undermine national bargaining with trade unions; this is not to the advantage of the staff. CCGs will have extraordinary powers to define entitlements to NHS provision and charge patients. GPs become direct overseers of NHS funds instead of receiving those funds through neighbourhood and regional PCTS. A CCG does not have a duty to provide a comprehensive range of services but only “such services or facilities as it considers appropriate”.
- A new national Commissioning Board must ensure CCGs cover the whole of England but do not coincide or overlap.
- A new executive agency of the Department of Health, Public Health England will be established on 1 April 2013.
- Local Authorities assume ultimate responsibility for public health via the new health and wellbeing boards working alongside Public Health England.
- Monitor will promote patients interests and stop “anti-competitive behaviour” ie behaviour that would prevent, restrict or distort competition.
- The NHS Future Forum is a “listening exercise” – 43 hand picked individuals many of whom are Lansley’s supporters.
- Cameron has set up a separate panel to advise him on the “reforms”. The panel includes Lord Crisp (NHS Chief Executive 2000/06) and Mark Britnell, Head of Health Policy at KPMG.
BMA has said “forcing commissioners of care to tender contracts to any willing provider, including commercial companies could destabilise local health economies and fragment care for patients”. The BMA went on to state that adding price competition to the mix could also allow large commercial companies to enter the NHS market and chase the profitable contracts, using their size to undercut on price, which could ultimately damage local services.
Kieran Walshe, professor of health and management, and Chris Ham, Chief Executive of Kings Trust state “It is difficult to see who is in charge of the NHS”. There are five bodies; Department of Health, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the Care Equality Commission, NHS Commission Board and Monitor.
David Cameron has set up a separate panel to advise him on the reforms; members of this panel include Lord Crisp (NHS chief executive 2000-2006), Bill Moyes (a former head of Monitor), and the head of global health systems at McKinsey,[21][22] as well as Mark Britnell, the head of health policy at KPMG. Six months previously Britnell had told a conference of private healthcare executives that "In future, the NHS will be a state insurance provider not a state deliverer," and emphasised the role of Lansley's reforms in making this possible: "The NHS will be shown no mercy and the best time to take advantage of this will be in the next couple of years." KPMG issued a press statement on behalf of Britnell on 16 May 2011 stating
"The article in The Observer attributes quotes to me that do not properly reflect discussions held at a private conference last October. Nor was I given the opportunity to respond ahead of publication. I worked in the NHS for twenty years and now work alongside it. I have always been a passionate advocate of the NHS and believe that it has a great future. Like many other countries throughout the world, the pressure facing healthcare funding and provision are enormous. If the NHS is to change and modernise the public, private and voluntary sectors will all need to play their part."
The Future Forum. Professor Steve Field, a GP who chaired the forum, said many of the fears the public and medical profession had about the Health and Social Care Bill had been "justified" as it contained "insufficient safeguards" against private companies exploiting the NHS.
EU involvement in the Health & Social Care Act
I have been asked to provide further information on the Blue Badge scheme and I am happy to provide the following link which provides lots of information.
Blue-Badge-scheme-local-authority-guidance.pdf
460K View Download
Also, our Chairman Syd Ashby informs me that Older people and the Disabled with bus passes will be able to gain a third of train travel without a senior railcard; for a twelve month experimental period. The scheme is being rolled out by the First Great Western and will apply to standard off-peak train fares on journeys between Worcester and Swindon via Stroud and between Westbury and Weymouth. The Department of Transport will be assessing the trial to determine if a more wider and permanent application might be merited. Thanks.
Please e-mail if you require further information and watch this space.
A recent article purports that millions of older people in the UK due to retire over the next few years will face a double hit that is likely to see over 11 billion wiped off their retirement funds.
This figure takes in the impact on pensioners of tax and benefit changes, including the freezing of age-related allowances from April 2013 and the reduction in winter fuel payments, alongside rock bottom interest rates and three rounds of quantitative easing.
Compiled for Saga by experts from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the report concludes that the changes will cost pensioners an average of £1,318 each by 5 April 2014.
Dr Ros Altmann, director general of Saga, says: "Pensioners are being hammered. They didn't cause our economic meltdown yet they have been paying a heavy price as we try to fix it and they face an even tighter financial squeeze in future.
"Those retiring now are the biggest losers in life's pension lottery as tax and benefit changes will compound the misery wreaked by paltry savings rates and overshooting inflation."
The report shows that the 40% of single pensioners who sit in the lowest income bracket are forced to get by on just £8,034 a year with couples living on just £13,883. The average income of the next 40% of pensioners is £13,104 for single households and £23,998 for couples, while even the wealthiest 20% typically only receive £20,332, well below the average national income.
Altmann adds: "Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of pounds into financial markets and bank balance sheets it would have been much better sending cheques to everyone to encourage them to spend.
"If older generations felt confident again, they would splash out and boost economic growth. If we keep hammering them, these grey pounds will be wasted."
Alliance Trust Research Centre's study of inflation rates affecting different age groups shows that over the past two years, pensioners have suffered a higher rate of inflation.
A fightback by the growing pensioners movement is required.
Ivor Timson
At a recent Executive Committee our Secretary and Ron Dorman were asked to write an article on surveillance, here is the contribution from Ron our Press and Publicity Officer. Please feel free to join in this important debate.
Surveillance by the state of people considered “dangerous” is nothing new but was confined to comparatively few people in the past. However, with the explosion of technology in the last two decades the situation has changed dramatically. We now have such things as the internet, mobile phones and satellites. These inventions have brought about massive changes in communications and the way we live. But not all of this has been for our good.
The new techniques in communications has also made it possible to check what everyone does and says and providing a scapegoat can be found for doing so it will be done. Hence the “reason” for making Muslims the “baddies” - this not to say some Muslims may not be baddies just as in every other walk of life.
However, this new kind surveillance started before the “Muslim problem” way back in 1985 with the Schengen agreement signed by Germany, France and the Benelux countries and aimed at mutual recognition of visas between these countries and strengthened police co-operation. Schengen has since been integrated into the EU Amsterdam Treaty.
Also, a system called Echelon has been developed, designed as much for non-military use as military – for governments, organisations and businesses throughout the world - with Britain as one of the main participants. Thomas Mathiesen, Professor of law, University of Oslo in “On Globalisation of Control: Towards an Integrated Surveillance System in Europe” quotes Steve Wight as follows: “The Echelon system works by indiscriminately intercepting very large quantities of communications and then siphoning out what is valuable using artificial intelligence aides like Menox to find key words. Five nations share the results.... Each of the five centres supply “dictionaries” to the other four of key words. Phrases, people and places to “tag” and the tagged intercept is forwarded straight to the requesting country...”
Some people may say “If you have nothing to hide why worry?” The fact is all of us have private lives we wish no-one else to know about. But more importantly what may considered innocent today by the state may be considered a threat tomorrow – like a mass movement to get rid of our reactionary Con-Dem government – and should be opposed.
The late Ron Dorman 21-05
I have received several responses to this article and after gaining permission from the senders, I intend to publish, Thanks. Ivor Timson
The BBC have allowed me to print the following very up to date information on the question of pensions.
Please visit the BBC site for full information.
The government is exploring new types of pension schemes that would give more security to retiring workers.
Minister for Pensions, Steve Webb, says the government is looking at several options that might become, what he terms, a "defined ambition plan".
The idea is to replace final-salary pensions, which have become too expensive for many private firms.
The minister has been speaking to companies about creating a new framework for pension schemes.
Nick Clegg has called for the NHS to be 'broken up' and said the Lib Dems should consider replacing it with a European-style insurance system.
In a little-noticed interview before he took over as leader, he said the party should consider a social insurance system to replace the present tax-funded Health Service. The comments raise huge question-marks over the Lib Dems' commitment to such a cherished institution as the NHS. Is this true? It certainly has not been denied.
As a lifetime internationalist, Ron I will of course publish this and offer details of the following meeting:
NSSN Meeting 17 Nov MIDLANDS NSSN Conference Unite offices, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY. 12.00-16.00. Speakers include Joe Simpson, Assistant General Secretary POA, Lee Barron CWU Midlands regional secretary, Kevin Greenway PCS national executive Dave Auger UNISON Nick Harrison FBU & workshops!
Do look after yourself, but I am in catch up mode at present, but you know all my promises will be kept.
Solidarity with the workers of Europe. The Networks sounds good. Ivor Timson
John Manning- Bedworth
Snippets of information.
A new report from the NPC is being launched at the beginning of September to highlight the importance and value of universal pensioner benefits, such as concessionary bus travel and the winter fuel allowance.
The report, entitled Sir Alan Sugar and the missing bus pass, challenges a number of recent claims from politicians and think-tanks that older people’s benefits should not be given to those who are better-off.
The NPC believes this is being used as a smokescreen to introduce wide-spread means-testing which would withdraw support from any-one not on Pension Credit with an annual income of little more than £7500.
The report also highlights that the revenue collected by the state from older people, either directly financial through a range of taxes or through costs that older people bear that would other-wise be paid by the state, adds up to a staggering £175.8bn every year, compared to total expenditure on older people through pensions, welfare payments and health care of £136.2bn.
The overall, annual net contribution by older people to the economy is therefore almost £40bn – and is estimated to rise to almost £75bn by 2030.
Most importantly, this is more than enough to pay for the £8bn worth of age-related benefits that are now being questioned.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Many of these universal benefits have been introduced over time because successive governments were reluctant to improve the state pension system.”
“Having one of the least adequate pensions in Europe has almost forced governments to provide additional support to its older population, or witness the inevitable rise in pensioner hardship.”
In a further move against universal benefits, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary is said to be planning to introduce a temperature test for the winter fuel allowance which may mean that pensioners in southern England could lose out if temperatures go above a certain level.
The NPC is urging all pensioners to support a rally and lobby of Parliament on 31 October 2012. Please join us . Ivor Timson
The NPC’s latest Campaign! Bulletin is now available. The October edition includes Nick Clegg’s attack on universal pensioner benefits such as the winter fuel allowance and free bus travel, the criticism of the Treasury by former care minister Paul Burstow, the ongoing campaign to promote the NPC’s Dignity Code and the launch of the new Generations United campaign. You can download a copy of the Campaign! Bulletin here.
Save Our Buses
The NPC is a member of the Campaign for Better Transport, which is currently running a Save Our Buses campaign to make the case for buses to government and to support bus users to defend their local services.
You can find out how to get involved by visiting their website at www.bettertransport.org.uk.
Just received this latest response from 38 degrees on the NHS.
Dear Ivor,
It’s just been revealed that two big private healthcare companies are plotting to rig the future of our NHS. On Tuesday, Capita and United Healthcare are planning to schmooze leading GPs at a conference in London - the GPs now in charge of deciding the future of local health services. [1]
The big private companies have got the money to gain influence and access. But together, we can use people power to level the playing field - and invite doctors to our own patient-sponsored event down the road, just after their conference finishes.
Capita and United Healthcare hope GPs will stick around for free drinks on them. Instead we can tempt them over to a very different kind of event! They’ll have the chance to hear from experts explaining the role patients can play in helping to protect our NHS - and why they need to listen to us, not just big business.
Can you chip in £1 to become an event sponsor? We'll put up the names of all the sponsors as GPs arrive at the event. The contrast with the big money corporate sponsorship over the road couldn't be clearer. And the GPs will see just how many of us are ready to keep up the pressure to safeguard our health service.
Are you in? Click here now to donate £1 and add your name to the list of sponsors:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
Tuesday's event is a prime opportunity to start a new conversation with GP leaders. Lansley’s NHS changes mean crucial decisions about the future of our NHS are now in these GPs' hands. [2] We can show them that 38 Degrees members will be watching their decisions carefully - and that we plan to do all we can to protect our NHS.
We don’t have a lot of time to pull this together. But that’s the power of our movement. 38 Degrees members can move quickly when we get a chance like this to stand up for our NHS. Already we’ve got a venue, and a panel of healthcare professionals and experts lined up to speak. Zoe Williams, a Guardian columnist who has written about our NHS campaign has agreed to chair. Now it just needs you to make it happen.
A few weeks ago 38 Degrees members voted overwhelmingly to carry on campaigning to save our NHS. This is our chance to get down to business.
Please help show the GPs that the future of the NHS doesn't have to be all about private companies and big money sponsorship - chip in £1 now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/GP-event-donate
ge.
Our Future.
It is a truism that every age is an age of change. But what I hope we can do in this short letter is to capture the speed and the quality of the revolutions we’ve all experienced; in our communities, in the world, and between the generations. In my view of the wider world, these are the things that matter, and it’s right that we can try to trace some of the most important changes that have turned the post-war country that welcomed us to our unfettered and stalling globalized world, which seems in so many ways to be a different place and clearly now in trouble. But will all this conflict, price rises, instability bring us all together as it did for many after the last world war? Will it bring about new and progressive changes? I rather think it is back to the drawing board, to change things ourselves, if our Grandchildren have any hope for the future. Lets not just contemplate change, but transform our communities into a new truism.
E Williams- Coventry
Women's pay and employment update: a public/private sector comparison
Report for Women's Conference 2012
A TUC report to the Women's Conference 2012 highlights the employment challenges currently facing women.
The report shows that with many thousands of skilled professional women in the public sector set to lose their jobs, the concentration of female private sector employment in low-skilled and poorly paid sectors poses a big challenge to their pay and career prospects.
Despite decades of progress, women's employment in the private sector remains concentrated around the five 'cs' - caring, catering, cashiering, cleaning and clerical work. As a result the gender pay gap for women working full time is twice as high in the private sector (18.4 per cent) as it is in the public sector (9.2 per cent).
Download Women's Conference Report 2012 [PDF]
Fair Pensions For- All Day of Action.
A number of trade unions took strike action in November, in defence of their occupational pensions. The NPC believed this was an opportunity to link up the campaign to include the state pension, as well as occupational pensions. With this in mind, the NPC gave its support to the day of action and encouraged supporters to attend events that are taking place across the country. We tried to show that this was a campaign for all pensions – state, private and public. The day of action was hugely successful. See our many photographs on this page and our homepage.
In a further development on pensions, an article in the Times recently - 18th November 2011, suggests that the uprating figure for pensions and benefits might be the average over six months and 4.5 % rather than the September CPI figure of 5.2%. It is therefore vital that we respond and send an email - and encourage others to do so - stating our opposition to such a move. Thank you for the considerable support, which I am convinced changed the Government policy on this issue for 2012-13.
It seems that this will not 'at present' be adopted and I feel sure our e-mails, lobbies and protests helped. Campaigns can be very affective and thanks to everyone who responded. Apparently there was a huge response.12- 02- 2012.
Please view and consider raising the motion sent by David Kippest-Unison on the important topic of the National Care Service. Details on our news-campaign page.
Ivor Timson
And now for another letter from one of our active and respected members.
Time to give pensioners fairness on allowances.
Regarding celebrities and millionaires of pensionable age, that are giving their winter fuel allowance to a fund to help those less fortunate than themselves. I have no qualms about all that.
It is their money and they can do whatever they like with it. But why do they make a song and dance about it? I f they want to give it to a charity of their choice, give it to a charity, full stop.
In fact,this country has become a charity shop and a profitable haven for all the world. This Government is giving another 20 million to foreign aid, some deserved, but some to countries that are better off than we are.
The pensioners of this country have had their winter fuel allowance cut by £50- £100, and we all know the cost of fuel has risen, yet we are the ones who have the reductions at the time we need it most. Perhaps those celebrities and millionaires could join us in our campaign for an above the poverty- line pension of £178 per week.
They can do this by supporting the National Pensioners Convention which vigorously campaigns on such issues. It is about time we looked after those that have given so much throughout their lives.
On that note as a member of the Wolverhampton branch, I wish everyone a warm, happy and productive 2012.
Mrs P A Jordon, Press Officer, Wolverhampton Branch.
Received the following article from Ron Dorman, which I am pleased to include.
NHS: Time to ACT!
Crunch time for the NHS: in the next few weeks the NHS as we know it will either be destroyed by the vicious Con-Dem Government’s Health & Social Care Bill or the bill will be serious modified or killed off. Kill it!
Every single health organisation from the BMA to the Royal College of Nursing and health unions such as Unison are totally opposed to the health bill. Even the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, Tory, Stephen Dorrell- is against it. Why such opposition?
Because the Bill seeks to:
- Scrap the duty of the secretary of state to provide comprehensive and universal services;
- Open up a competitive market in the NHS for transnational companies to make profits out of the lucrative work and leave the difficult costly work to the NHS;
- Allow NHS facilities to be used for private medicine;
- Force GPs to run clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) which they don’t want to do – GPs either look after patient’s clinical needs or run the CCGs, they can’t do both.
Unfortunately, Ed Miliband , “Leader” of the Labour Party, is not giving any real lead in opposing Lansley’s Health Bill and neither are some trade union leaders who say they are opposed to it. So, what to do? Here are a few suggestions,
- West Midlands Pensioners Convention to write to Ed Miliband and all Midlands MPS, from whatever party, demanding they oppose the Health Bill.
- Ask union organisations affiliated to WMPC to do the same.
- Organise demonstrations in the main areas of WMPC and call upon other local organisations to take part.
- Ask the Midlands TUC pensioners network to organise a demonstration.
Please also consider writing letters to the press both locally and nationally.
The late Ron Dorman.
Just a few snippets of imformation from Walsall following a demonstration against Councillors allowances being raised while jobs and care services are being slashed.
The campaign was successful and the allowances frozen, but the disgraceful cuts continue.
Peter Last- WMPC Vice Chair
Cathy Come Home
After including the details on our news-campaigns page about a housing campaign, I felt compelled to add the following as my first contribution in the form of a short 'article'.
As an aside from the campaign, it is interesting to me that Ken Loach is a speaker at some of the planned meetings. Apart from being born in my hometown, I was given the 'Ken Loach at the BBC' Video box set for Christmas. This contains Cathy Come Home, which in 1966 was watched by twelve million people- a quarter of the population at the time; and exposed the poverty and homelessness of the day. Any return to this situation should be vociferously campaigned against. The film provoked major public and social discussion and challenged the accepted practice and conventions of television drama. I remember it very well and it revives memories of my early days in trying to influence and change society and the community I lived in.
Ivor Timson - North Warwickshire and WMPC Webmaster.
Ladies of the Midlands. 24-02-2012
A contribution from Pat O' Dowd- Chair- Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention.
The National Pensioners Convention would like to take up the challenge for the saving of the NHS. Be like June Hautot and let them know where to shove their NHS reforms. The Women can do this! Pat O' Dowd.
Chris Smith our Secretary has asked for the following to be included:
The item below "Incomes Tracker" which is shown via the link allows individuals to see the real reduction in their incomes. This can also be applied to the yearly amount an individual pensioner receives. Introducing the Incomes Tracker – how might you have lost out?
You can use our incomes tracker to see what you might be earning today, had wages for your job had the same economic share as they had in the 70s.
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-20554-f0.cfm Our thanks to the TUC.
The National Pensioners Convention was established in the1980's and is involved in pensioner issues, such as the restoration of the link between pension increases and earnings, free care for the elderly, the preservation of our National Health Service, as opposed to a part or fully privatised service and other pensioner related matters.
The NPC was established, by Jack Jones among others, soon after the Tory Government abandoned the link between pension increases and the annual rise in average male earnings. A number of organisations were soon formed, among them, the West Midlands Pensioners' Convention in the early 1980's.
Our principal objective has been and is the implementation of a decent living pension without the indignity of means testing. Progress has been slow but in the Turner Report on pensions, the principle of rises in line with earnings has been acknowledged. The problem is that the rises when and if they come will be so small as to be insignificant. It is a sobering thought that if the earnings link had been in place since 1980, today's single pensioners would be substantially better off. This acknowledgement is now however under attack and the many changes to the pensions system should mainly be opposed.
The fight for a decent pension goes on, but we are involved in other campaigns relevant to older people.
We have been in the forefront of campaigns to establish nationwide free travel. Nationwide free bus travel (in England) was achieved, but we must be vigilant; and we must campaign again against scrapping the fuel duty rebate given to coach operating companies in return for them offering a 50% discount on fares for older and disabled travellers. It is vital that older people are able to go out to visit family, enjoy our local parks and other amenities and indeed visit town centres were their spending contributes to the success of thriving shopping centres. Our aim will be to extend the free travel scheme to include rail travel in all areas. We believe in joining with all age groups, in order to persue our goals and provide unity. We campaign for change and support and organise lobbies and demonstrations, that our members have deemed appropriate at our regular meetings. Officers are elected at our AGM. We do not discriminate on any grounds and we are not party political.
After reading the document 'The Way Forward' it seems very clear that the late Joe Harris- (Membership Secretary) August-2001, made a huge contribution to the Convention and it's development. An essential read.
To all members of the West Midlands Pensioners Convention.
The meetings for 2014, will appear from Month to Month, due to an impending change to our constitution. We still intend to meet monthly.
The next meeting for 2014- as follows: Our AGM with Free Buffet.
Dear all,
Urgent attention.
It is our very important AGM on Thursday at 10-30am for 11-0am-1-0pm, 24th April 2014- Transport House, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham B15 1AY.
Free Buffet provided and we will hold our elections. I am standing for the position of Regional Secretary and the positions of Chair and Vice Chair will be contested, with new candidates including Women. We are also hoping to elect a new Webmaster, as well as the other Officer and EC positions.
As well as considering a new Constitution, we will also offer a full report on our very recent meeting with Centro- the Transport Authority. This report will also empathise the need for a strong and balanced campaigning team to combat future cuts, including local Transport, the NHS and Universal Benefits for retired and older people. This will include our National Bus Pass, which is not guaranteed after the General Election. It is essential we draw upon the successes of the past, but also develop in the following year which proceeds the further proposed cuts and the General Election.
Documents to follow including the agenda and full paper documentation will be made available on the day. Both delegates, and individual supporter- members will all be made very welcome. Without your support we will not succeed and our gains could be lost. Do take care and I hope to see you all on the 24th April 2014.
Ivor Timson Regional Secretary- WMPC.
Website westmidlandspensioners.org.uk For more details, please telephone or e-mail.
CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND UNIVERSAL PENSIONER BENEFITS such as the winter fuel allowance and bus passes “Hands off universal pensioner benefits” Please sign the petition here!
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49599
Important information!
It is our AGM-EM at 10-30 for 11-Oam usual venue, Transport House, Broad Street, Birmingham on the 24th April 2014. Elections will take place and we will consider the proposed changes to the Constitution. Recent Centro-Transport Report! Hands off our Universal Bus Pass Campaign and much more. Free Buffet. One not to miss! See letter above. Report and debate on Local Transport.
Please e-mail or telephone for further details.
Perry Barr, Kingstanding and Oscott Pensioners Convention.
Meets every third monday of the month, which is an open meeeting and takes place between 11-0am- 1-0pm.
Refreshments provided and new members welcome. We meet at the Great Barr Leisure Centre.
We are a caring and sociable group which includes special points of interest and day trips both local and distance.
Guest speakers for all the needs of pensioners and we also help and advise on a wide range of subjects.
Ken Smith- telephone 0121 624 6981.
The Wolverhampton Branch branch meetings are held on the last Friday of every month-, between 10-30 am- 1-0 pm. They are held at the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Wolverhampton.
The Executive Committee meetings are held on the second Friday of every month- 10-30 am to 1-00pm. They are held in Briefing room 1, Civic Centre, Wolverhampton.
The General Meeting took place on Friday 25 January at 10.30 am in Committee Room 3 Wolverhampton Civic Centre.
Guest speaker was Bob Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands.
Members please note that membership renewals are due.
If you have any items to be included in a newsletter to be distributed please let me know. Maximum 100 words please. Newsletter will be going out this week and will cover March. Items wanted will be for March and April.
Eileen Ward-Birch
Secretary
Wolverhampton Pensioners' Convention
56 Whittaker Street
Wolverhampton
WV2 2EB
07914541248
http://www.wnpc.org.uk
Forum at http://wnpc.proboards.com/index.cgi
Some material written by the Secretary will be included soon
And a letter from the Chair:
Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention 2013.
Wolverhampton was given £250 for Xmas cheer, and on the 25th January 2013, we are all going to the 'Dog and Gun' in Tettenhall for a slap up meal and transport will be provided, by ring and ride which we will pay for out of money given to us by Age UK.
Pat O' Dowd (Chair).
Sutton Coldfield pensioners meet every 3rd Tuesday at Sutton United Reform Church, Brassington Avenue, SC 11.15 am to 1.00pm. The Secretary is:
Phil Ladkin
35 Blackberry Lane
Four Oaks
Sutton Coldfield
B74 4JJ
Telephone 0121 353 9180
Below is the February 2013 edition of Wolverhampton Pensioner. Please feel free to redistribute.
Pensioner February 2013.pdf
86K View Download
Eileen Ward-Birch
Secretary
WOLVERHAMPTON PENSIONERS CONVENTION
I’m pleased to announce that the membership target, which I recently specified has now been reached and the branch now has 60 fully paid up members.
I congratulate the branch committee for their hard recruitment work to obtain the new members and appreciate their support of me in obtaining the result. However the recruitment campaign will still go on.
On Friday the 29th June 2012 it was arranged for 30 members to be taken for a “Jubilee Meal,” with a suitable drink followed by coffee.
A grant has been provided by AGE UK to finance this one off venture.
Both myself and the branch secretary worked hard to organise this event and hopefully the members had an enjoyable time.
Pat O’Dowd Chairperson
Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention.
Please view our articles-debate page for new articles, including ones from Wolverhampton, Unison and others.
The NPC was established, by Jack Jones among others, soon after the Tory Government abandoned the link between pension increases and the annual rise in average male earnings. A number of organisations were soon formed, among them, the West Midlands Pensioners' Convention in the early 1980's.
Our principal objective has been and is the implementation of a decent living pension without the indignity of means testing. Progress has been slow but in the Turner Report on pensions, the principle of rises in line with earnings has been acknowledged. The problem is that the rises when and if they come will be so small as to be insignificant. It is a sobering thought that if the earnings link had been in place since 1980, today's single pensioners would be substantially better off. This acknowledgement is now however under attack and the many changes to the pensions system should mainly be opposed.
The fight for a decent pension goes on, but we are involved in other campaigns relevant to older people.
We have been in the forefront of campaigns to establish nationwide free travel. Nationwide free bus travel (in England) was achieved, but we must be vigilant; and we must campaign again against scrapping the fuel duty rebate given to coach operating companies in return for them offering a 50% discount on fares for older and disabled travellers. It is vital that older people are able to go out to visit family, enjoy our local parks and other amenities and indeed visit town centres were their spending contributes to the success of thriving shopping centres. Our aim will be to extend the free travel scheme to include rail travel in all areas. We believe in joining with all age groups, in order to persue our goals and provide unity. We campaign for change and support and organise lobbies and demonstrations, that our members have deemed appropriate at our regular meetings. Officers are elected at our AGM. We do not discriminate on any grounds and we are not party political.
After reading the document 'The Way Forward' it seems very clear that the late Joe Harris- (Membership Secretary) August-2001, made a huge contribution to the Convention and it's development. An essential read.
To all members of the West Midlands Pensioners Convention.
The meetings for 2014, will appear from Month to Month, due to an impending change to our constitution. We still intend to meet monthly.
The next meeting for 2014- as follows: Our AGM with Free Buffet.
Dear all,
Urgent attention.
It is our very important AGM on Thursday at 10-30am for 11-0am-1-0pm, 24th April 2014- Transport House, 211 Broad Street, Birmingham B15 1AY.
Free Buffet provided and we will hold our elections. I am standing for the position of Regional Secretary and the positions of Chair and Vice Chair will be contested, with new candidates including Women. We are also hoping to elect a new Webmaster, as well as the other Officer and EC positions.
As well as considering a new Constitution, we will also offer a full report on our very recent meeting with Centro- the Transport Authority. This report will also empathise the need for a strong and balanced campaigning team to combat future cuts, including local Transport, the NHS and Universal Benefits for retired and older people. This will include our National Bus Pass, which is not guaranteed after the General Election. It is essential we draw upon the successes of the past, but also develop in the following year which proceeds the further proposed cuts and the General Election.
Documents to follow including the agenda and full paper documentation will be made available on the day. Both delegates, and individual supporter- members will all be made very welcome. Without your support we will not succeed and our gains could be lost. Do take care and I hope to see you all on the 24th April 2014.
Ivor Timson Regional Secretary- WMPC.
Website westmidlandspensioners.org.uk For more details, please telephone or e-mail.
CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND UNIVERSAL PENSIONER BENEFITS such as the winter fuel allowance and bus passes “Hands off universal pensioner benefits” Please sign the petition here!
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49599
Important information!
It is our AGM-EM at 10-30 for 11-Oam usual venue, Transport House, Broad Street, Birmingham on the 24th April 2014. Elections will take place and we will consider the proposed changes to the Constitution. Recent Centro-Transport Report! Hands off our Universal Bus Pass Campaign and much more. Free Buffet. One not to miss! See letter above. Report and debate on Local Transport.
Please e-mail or telephone for further details.
Perry Barr, Kingstanding and Oscott Pensioners Convention.
Meets every third monday of the month, which is an open meeeting and takes place between 11-0am- 1-0pm.
Refreshments provided and new members welcome. We meet at the Great Barr Leisure Centre.
We are a caring and sociable group which includes special points of interest and day trips both local and distance.
Guest speakers for all the needs of pensioners and we also help and advise on a wide range of subjects.
Ken Smith- telephone 0121 624 6981.
The Wolverhampton Branch branch meetings are held on the last Friday of every month-, between 10-30 am- 1-0 pm. They are held at the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Wolverhampton.
The Executive Committee meetings are held on the second Friday of every month- 10-30 am to 1-00pm. They are held in Briefing room 1, Civic Centre, Wolverhampton.
The General Meeting took place on Friday 25 January at 10.30 am in Committee Room 3 Wolverhampton Civic Centre.
Guest speaker was Bob Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands.
Members please note that membership renewals are due.
If you have any items to be included in a newsletter to be distributed please let me know. Maximum 100 words please. Newsletter will be going out this week and will cover March. Items wanted will be for March and April.
Eileen Ward-Birch
Secretary
Wolverhampton Pensioners' Convention
56 Whittaker Street
Wolverhampton
WV2 2EB
07914541248
http://www.wnpc.org.uk
Forum at http://wnpc.proboards.com/index.cgi
Some material written by the Secretary will be included soon
And a letter from the Chair:
Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention 2013.
Wolverhampton was given £250 for Xmas cheer, and on the 25th January 2013, we are all going to the 'Dog and Gun' in Tettenhall for a slap up meal and transport will be provided, by ring and ride which we will pay for out of money given to us by Age UK.
Pat O' Dowd (Chair).
Sutton Coldfield pensioners meet every 3rd Tuesday at Sutton United Reform Church, Brassington Avenue, SC 11.15 am to 1.00pm. The Secretary is:
Phil Ladkin
35 Blackberry Lane
Four Oaks
Sutton Coldfield
B74 4JJ
Telephone 0121 353 9180
Below is the February 2013 edition of Wolverhampton Pensioner. Please feel free to redistribute.
Pensioner February 2013.pdf
86K View Download
Eileen Ward-Birch
Secretary
WOLVERHAMPTON PENSIONERS CONVENTION
I’m pleased to announce that the membership target, which I recently specified has now been reached and the branch now has 60 fully paid up members.
I congratulate the branch committee for their hard recruitment work to obtain the new members and appreciate their support of me in obtaining the result. However the recruitment campaign will still go on.
On Friday the 29th June 2012 it was arranged for 30 members to be taken for a “Jubilee Meal,” with a suitable drink followed by coffee.
A grant has been provided by AGE UK to finance this one off venture.
Both myself and the branch secretary worked hard to organise this event and hopefully the members had an enjoyable time.
Pat O’Dowd Chairperson
Wolverhampton Pensioners Convention.
Please view our articles-debate page for new articles, including ones from Wolverhampton, Unison and others.
TUC Birmingham Pensions Justice Day
Marchers assembled at Lionel Street- a march route ending at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham. The highly successful and determined Birmingham March soon began in earnest and the demonstration commenced it's journey to the NIA. The largest strike since 1926!
The Rally at the National Indoor Arena was packed with strikers and supporters.
Speakers included:
CHAIR: Lee Barron, CWU Midlands Regional Secretary & Midlands TUC Chair
Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary
Kevin Courtney, NUT Deputy General Secretary
Janice Godrich, PCS President
Karen Jennings, Unison Assistant General Secretary
Martin Johnson, ATL Deputy General Secretary
Chris Keates, NASUWT General Secretary
Barry Lovejoy, UCU Head of Further Education
Joe Morgan, GMB West Midlands Regional Secretary
Tony Woodley, UNITE Executive Officer
A wonderful display of solidarity ensued over the region and indeed the country. Tens of thousands took to the streets in Birmingham, as many also attended picket lines and the many local rallies. People of all ages joined this mass display of strength in support of pensions justice. Almost every public sector union took part in this co-ordinated action called by the TUC. Pickets were out in force at most larger council and civil service buildings, with earlier pickets at refuse collection depots and other locations.They enjoyed huge public support.
Some of our members on the Birmingham March- November 30th 2011. Picture taken by Chris Smith- Regional Secretary- WMPC.
Tens of thousands of people have also joined rallies around the UK as the public sector strike over pensions affected schools, hospitals and other services.
State schools shut, and thousands of hospital operations were postponed, as unions estimated over two million people went on strike.
The TUC called it "the biggest strike in a generation" A day to be remembered!
Some of these photographs were sent in by Keith Coggins and taken by Chris Smith and Chris Jukes. Thanks to Chris Smith, and Chris Jukes for their photographic skills, which are deeply appreciated. Thanks again! I have included six more photographs on our campaigns page. What a great day which was certainly no 'damp squib'.
State schools shut, and thousands of hospital operations were postponed, as unions estimated over two million people went on strike.
The TUC called it "the biggest strike in a generation" A day to be remembered!
Some of these photographs were sent in by Keith Coggins and taken by Chris Smith and Chris Jukes. Thanks to Chris Smith, and Chris Jukes for their photographic skills, which are deeply appreciated. Thanks again! I have included six more photographs on our campaigns page. What a great day which was certainly no 'damp squib'.
We aim to be constructive and informative. We will advise and respond to all requests from branches, individuals and the Media. E-mail or telephone and we will reply within 24 hours.
The West Midlands Pensioners can provide you with information regarding our objectives and aims. As well as advising and supporting branches, we campaign for change. The emphasis of our site and our work generally is :
JUSTICE FOR ALL PENSIONERS
The Officers of the West Midlands Pensioners wish all Delegates, Members, New Supporters
A warm welcome to our new website.
If you are not familiar with our organisation and your first contact with us is online, we would be pleased to hear from you! We are non party political. Please e-mail.
WEST MIDLANDS PENSIONERS
THE VOICE OF THE REGION'S OLDER and RETIRED PERSON.
Received e-mails about the older person and abuse which I simply must include.
International Day against Elder Abuse
Stop elder abuse:
AGE calls for an EU quality framework for long-term care to
support the wellbeing and dignity of older people
“With the ageing of the population and the major social and economic reforms this
demographic change will entail, finding ways of preventing elder abuse and ensuring a
dignified life in old age will be a major challenge across the EU and needs be at the core of the
current EU active and healthy ageing policies”, highlights Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Secretary General, on the eve of the International Day against Elder Abuse in 2013.
In the last few years, the issue of abuse and negligence against vulnerable older people has gained
importance at European and national levels. Public authorities, policy makers, care providers and end
users’ organisations are now aware that elder abuse and neglect is a serious infringement to
human rights that can no longer be tolerated, and measures must be put in place to ensure that
older persons are adequately protected and can enjoy a dignified old age even when they become
dependent on others for care and assistance.
We all know cases of older people abused and neglected, and these poor practices can be found in
all EU countries and in all care settings, at home, in the community or in institutions. Some of these
cases are examples of intentional abuse and neglect but the vast majority of them reflect just
unintentional ‘bad care’ which affect the wellbeing and dignity of older vulnerable persons. However,
many positive experiences and (real) success stories exist as well across Europe. Most of the time,
carers - both formal and informal - are very devoted and go out of their way to provide the best care
they can to the older person in need of assistance.
In our view the best way to prevent ‘bad care’ and elder abuse is by improving the quality of care and
support we provide to older people in need of care and assistance. As part of the EU funded WeDO
project, AGE and a group of partners from 12 countries, are developing a European Quality
Framework for Long-Term Care which includes quality principles and recommendations for the
implementation of these principles which are based on the European Charter of Rights and
Responsibilities of older people in need of long-term care and assistance, developed in 2010. The
European Quality Framework for Long-term care will be presented to the European Parliament in
Brussels.
More News on Housing:
Housing Minister Grant Shapps is proposing reintroduction of the hated means test and two-tier rents. This attack on the principle of council housing for all, is based on lies and hypocricy.
While Government attacks housing benefit, rents and tenancies, Council tenants are robbed, not subsidised. Government siphoned £2 billion out of our rents last year; more public money goes to subsidise mortgages than into council house building.Tenants demand one fair rent for all, and a new generation of secure and genuinely affordable council housing to create desperately needed homes. Instead the Government's proposed means test will make council housing more stigmatised and poverty-trapped.
This is part of a sustained attack on tenants' rights, forcing more into the private sector and increasing homelessness and waiting lists. Tenants, trade unions, politicians and campaigners are building the campaign at conferences over the forthcoming period.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that inequality in life expectancy for the over 65s between the least and most deprived neighbourhoods is increasing. The ONS data shows that male pensioners in more affluent areas live 4.1 years longer than their poorer counterparts, whilst for women the figure is 3.4 years.
However, the greatest difference was in the number of years spent in retirement without suffering from a disability.Men in the least deprived neighbourhoods could expect 11.8 years of retirement with-out disability - around 4.6 years longer than in the most deprived areas, whilst women in more affluent areas could expect 12 years of retirement free from disability; some 2.9 years more than those living in the poorest neighbourhoods.
Frank Cooper, NPC- said: “Politicians are constantly telling us that every-one is living longer and therefore people will have to work longer, but the reality is that increases in life expectancy are not the same as increases in healthy living.“The poorest in society are still dying younger than their richer counterparts and suffering longer periods of ill health in retirement. ''It is clear that any plans to raise the state pension age will therefore do little more than force the poorest to work until they drop''.
Urgent Save Our NHS
I have received a huge response in relation to our NHS. From calling a General Strike, a Mass March to writng to or e-mailing a Peer, I have received many ideas. At this stage the consensus seems to be another e-mail and the letter below seems to summarise the current feelings. Please also view our other articles on this urgent matter. The bill has now been debated, but the struggle for our NHS will continue. Ivor Timson
The following letter sums up the current situation, but the struggle for our NHS and services continues and our plans for any actions and the future of the NHS will be debated at our Pensioners Parliament at Blackpool- this June 18th- 20th 2013.
Dear Ivor,
We’re sorry to have to tell you, if you didn’t already know, that the government’s controversial Health and Social Care Bill has cleared both Houses of Parliament and is now likely to pass into law for England early next week.MPs have this evening voted to agree the Lords’ amendments to the Bill, turning down a Commons proposal from Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham to delay the final vote until the government published the Transitional Risk Register, outlining the dangers they expected to the NHS through these reforms.
Whilst the government will heave a collective sigh of relief having struggled over the last 18 months to get this legislation through, the negative impacts of these measures will be felt by NHS patients and health practitioners for years to come.
Some MPs who voted for the Bill will today be pointing to the limited amendments they managed to get the Health Secretary to agree to, but they’ve done nothing to change the fundamentals of the Bill, and the outcomes will be much the same with or without their changes.
This is a major blow, but for us and the other groups and organisations campaigning against the Bill, the fight for our NHS is far from over.
It’s important that we don’t let up on our opposition to what the government are doing with our Health Service. The changes, whilst highly damaging to the principles of the service, only affect England, and are reversible. We can and will restore and retain our NHS.
We need to be working now to gather information on the impact these changes are having. We need to gather the evidence to show what the cuts and reforms have done to NHS waiting lists, the quality of service non-private patients receive, and the standards for workers. And we want to gather information about the private companies who are looking to profit from our NHS.
There will be a political price for many to pay for forcing this bad Bill through Parliament, against the wishes of the majority of the public and the overwhelming majority of health professionals, and without a mandate in the parties’ manifestos or the coalition agreement.
We’re working on plans to help research, collate, log and share this vital information at the moment, to keep the issue very much in the spotlight, and will be back soon to ask for your help with this.
In the meantime though, one practical thing you could do today is to please check the voting lists to see how your own MP stood on the final debate.
If your MP voted for the Bill, please write a letter to your local paper, to help get their actions on record in their constituency. You can use our online tool to help find the larger publications in your region.
Many thanks. Please continue the campaign. Thanks.
Pensioners Deserve Better Pensions.
Energy Bill Revolution posted by the NPC on their website.
We are facing an energy bill crisis. Families are suffering huge financial hardship, and one in four households can’t afford to heat their homes. Cold homes are damaging the health of our most vulnerable citizens, including children and older people. But there is a fair and permanent solution. We can have warm homes and slash our fuel bills.
We call on the Government to use the money it gets from our carbon taxes to make our homes super-energy efficient – driving down our energy bills forever.
Please sign our petition at http://www.energybillrevolution.org and please spead the word to all your friends and family. Read the campaign briefing paper here.
And now a litle nostalgia.
The Regional Council recently organised their own Demonstration and March in the City- Birmingham. The start was from-Transport & General Workers Union House, Birmingham, to arrive in Chamberlain Square at the amphitheatre. The meeting was addressed in the pouring rain by speakers from the WMPC, the GMB Trade Union.The Fair Pensions for all and rights in retirement campaign week, was called by the National Pensioners Convention. We are currently supporting the campaigns as detailed below and on our news/campaign page, in what is likely to be a busy campaigning year during 2013. New members welcome
JUSTICE FOR ALL PENSIONERS
The Officers of the West Midlands Pensioners wish all Delegates, Members, New Supporters
A warm welcome to our new website.
If you are not familiar with our organisation and your first contact with us is online, we would be pleased to hear from you! We are non party political. Please e-mail.
WEST MIDLANDS PENSIONERS
THE VOICE OF THE REGION'S OLDER and RETIRED PERSON.
Received e-mails about the older person and abuse which I simply must include.
International Day against Elder Abuse
Stop elder abuse:
AGE calls for an EU quality framework for long-term care to
support the wellbeing and dignity of older people
“With the ageing of the population and the major social and economic reforms this
demographic change will entail, finding ways of preventing elder abuse and ensuring a
dignified life in old age will be a major challenge across the EU and needs be at the core of the
current EU active and healthy ageing policies”, highlights Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Secretary General, on the eve of the International Day against Elder Abuse in 2013.
In the last few years, the issue of abuse and negligence against vulnerable older people has gained
importance at European and national levels. Public authorities, policy makers, care providers and end
users’ organisations are now aware that elder abuse and neglect is a serious infringement to
human rights that can no longer be tolerated, and measures must be put in place to ensure that
older persons are adequately protected and can enjoy a dignified old age even when they become
dependent on others for care and assistance.
We all know cases of older people abused and neglected, and these poor practices can be found in
all EU countries and in all care settings, at home, in the community or in institutions. Some of these
cases are examples of intentional abuse and neglect but the vast majority of them reflect just
unintentional ‘bad care’ which affect the wellbeing and dignity of older vulnerable persons. However,
many positive experiences and (real) success stories exist as well across Europe. Most of the time,
carers - both formal and informal - are very devoted and go out of their way to provide the best care
they can to the older person in need of assistance.
In our view the best way to prevent ‘bad care’ and elder abuse is by improving the quality of care and
support we provide to older people in need of care and assistance. As part of the EU funded WeDO
project, AGE and a group of partners from 12 countries, are developing a European Quality
Framework for Long-Term Care which includes quality principles and recommendations for the
implementation of these principles which are based on the European Charter of Rights and
Responsibilities of older people in need of long-term care and assistance, developed in 2010. The
European Quality Framework for Long-term care will be presented to the European Parliament in
Brussels.
More News on Housing:
Housing Minister Grant Shapps is proposing reintroduction of the hated means test and two-tier rents. This attack on the principle of council housing for all, is based on lies and hypocricy.
While Government attacks housing benefit, rents and tenancies, Council tenants are robbed, not subsidised. Government siphoned £2 billion out of our rents last year; more public money goes to subsidise mortgages than into council house building.Tenants demand one fair rent for all, and a new generation of secure and genuinely affordable council housing to create desperately needed homes. Instead the Government's proposed means test will make council housing more stigmatised and poverty-trapped.
This is part of a sustained attack on tenants' rights, forcing more into the private sector and increasing homelessness and waiting lists. Tenants, trade unions, politicians and campaigners are building the campaign at conferences over the forthcoming period.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that inequality in life expectancy for the over 65s between the least and most deprived neighbourhoods is increasing. The ONS data shows that male pensioners in more affluent areas live 4.1 years longer than their poorer counterparts, whilst for women the figure is 3.4 years.
However, the greatest difference was in the number of years spent in retirement without suffering from a disability.Men in the least deprived neighbourhoods could expect 11.8 years of retirement with-out disability - around 4.6 years longer than in the most deprived areas, whilst women in more affluent areas could expect 12 years of retirement free from disability; some 2.9 years more than those living in the poorest neighbourhoods.
Frank Cooper, NPC- said: “Politicians are constantly telling us that every-one is living longer and therefore people will have to work longer, but the reality is that increases in life expectancy are not the same as increases in healthy living.“The poorest in society are still dying younger than their richer counterparts and suffering longer periods of ill health in retirement. ''It is clear that any plans to raise the state pension age will therefore do little more than force the poorest to work until they drop''.
Urgent Save Our NHS
I have received a huge response in relation to our NHS. From calling a General Strike, a Mass March to writng to or e-mailing a Peer, I have received many ideas. At this stage the consensus seems to be another e-mail and the letter below seems to summarise the current feelings. Please also view our other articles on this urgent matter. The bill has now been debated, but the struggle for our NHS will continue. Ivor Timson
The following letter sums up the current situation, but the struggle for our NHS and services continues and our plans for any actions and the future of the NHS will be debated at our Pensioners Parliament at Blackpool- this June 18th- 20th 2013.
Dear Ivor,
We’re sorry to have to tell you, if you didn’t already know, that the government’s controversial Health and Social Care Bill has cleared both Houses of Parliament and is now likely to pass into law for England early next week.MPs have this evening voted to agree the Lords’ amendments to the Bill, turning down a Commons proposal from Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham to delay the final vote until the government published the Transitional Risk Register, outlining the dangers they expected to the NHS through these reforms.
Whilst the government will heave a collective sigh of relief having struggled over the last 18 months to get this legislation through, the negative impacts of these measures will be felt by NHS patients and health practitioners for years to come.
Some MPs who voted for the Bill will today be pointing to the limited amendments they managed to get the Health Secretary to agree to, but they’ve done nothing to change the fundamentals of the Bill, and the outcomes will be much the same with or without their changes.
This is a major blow, but for us and the other groups and organisations campaigning against the Bill, the fight for our NHS is far from over.
It’s important that we don’t let up on our opposition to what the government are doing with our Health Service. The changes, whilst highly damaging to the principles of the service, only affect England, and are reversible. We can and will restore and retain our NHS.
We need to be working now to gather information on the impact these changes are having. We need to gather the evidence to show what the cuts and reforms have done to NHS waiting lists, the quality of service non-private patients receive, and the standards for workers. And we want to gather information about the private companies who are looking to profit from our NHS.
There will be a political price for many to pay for forcing this bad Bill through Parliament, against the wishes of the majority of the public and the overwhelming majority of health professionals, and without a mandate in the parties’ manifestos or the coalition agreement.
We’re working on plans to help research, collate, log and share this vital information at the moment, to keep the issue very much in the spotlight, and will be back soon to ask for your help with this.
In the meantime though, one practical thing you could do today is to please check the voting lists to see how your own MP stood on the final debate.
If your MP voted for the Bill, please write a letter to your local paper, to help get their actions on record in their constituency. You can use our online tool to help find the larger publications in your region.
Many thanks. Please continue the campaign. Thanks.
Pensioners Deserve Better Pensions.
Energy Bill Revolution posted by the NPC on their website.
We are facing an energy bill crisis. Families are suffering huge financial hardship, and one in four households can’t afford to heat their homes. Cold homes are damaging the health of our most vulnerable citizens, including children and older people. But there is a fair and permanent solution. We can have warm homes and slash our fuel bills.
We call on the Government to use the money it gets from our carbon taxes to make our homes super-energy efficient – driving down our energy bills forever.
Please sign our petition at http://www.energybillrevolution.org and please spead the word to all your friends and family. Read the campaign briefing paper here.
And now a litle nostalgia.
The Regional Council recently organised their own Demonstration and March in the City- Birmingham. The start was from-Transport & General Workers Union House, Birmingham, to arrive in Chamberlain Square at the amphitheatre. The meeting was addressed in the pouring rain by speakers from the WMPC, the GMB Trade Union.The Fair Pensions for all and rights in retirement campaign week, was called by the National Pensioners Convention. We are currently supporting the campaigns as detailed below and on our news/campaign page, in what is likely to be a busy campaigning year during 2013. New members welcome
Views contained within this entire website are not necessarily the views of the West Midlands Pensioners, delegates, members, the NPC or our supporters.
Ivor Timson- Webmaster- RC- WMP. [email protected]
02476 329750.
The three day Parliament will be again held in 2014 at Blackpool, to be confirmed.
Pensioners’ Parliament
The Tower, rock, buckets
and spades- the memory
for me of Blackpool is deckchairs!
The annual NPC Pensioners’ Parliament is widely regarded as one of the most important activities in the pensioner movement’s calendar. There is nothing else like it in the country and over the years the event has developed a number of key roles:
This year’s event will take place from 18-20 June 2013, Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Tickets are priced £6 and each delegate will be entered into a prize draw. One of the main speakers at the opening rally will be the new TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady.
The NPC’s new campaign for 2013 is entitled: Fair Care. The campaign will raise the arguments in favour of a National Care Service funded through general taxation, like the NHS. The campaign will also call for improved standards, better training and pay for care staff and the introduction of a Dignity Code to give rights to all older people in receipt of care. Sign the petition in support of the Dignity Code at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/27050. Full details on our Campaigns page.
- Education – enabling people to find out new information that they can then use in their campaigning
- Networking – offering the chance to get together, share ideas and build friendships
- Debate – providing a forum for people to discuss ideas and have their say
- Rally – inspiring the movement to continue its united campaign on key issues
This year’s event will take place from 18-20 June 2013, Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Tickets are priced £6 and each delegate will be entered into a prize draw. One of the main speakers at the opening rally will be the new TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady.
The NPC’s new campaign for 2013 is entitled: Fair Care. The campaign will raise the arguments in favour of a National Care Service funded through general taxation, like the NHS. The campaign will also call for improved standards, better training and pay for care staff and the introduction of a Dignity Code to give rights to all older people in receipt of care. Sign the petition in support of the Dignity Code at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/27050. Full details on our Campaigns page.
One of our priorities over the past months has been our precious NHS.
Dr Jacky Davis speaking at a Public meeting.
''Evidence is mounting that the NHS is providing less care for us as the £20bn 'efficiencies' - which have already saved £7bn according to Cameron but have not been ploughed back into the NHS to provide care in the community - and the latest 'redisorganistion' following the NHS Act begin to bite. Already hospitals are offering 'top-up' payments for procedures and facilities not available on the NHS. At least one insurance company is suggesting a policy to cover these top-up payments. Some PCTs are continuing to restrict patients having hip and knee replacements and cataract operations. Meanwhile more private companies are taking over our NHS and turning NHS money into profits rather than care.'' We should continue the struggle.
''Evidence is mounting that the NHS is providing less care for us as the £20bn 'efficiencies' - which have already saved £7bn according to Cameron but have not been ploughed back into the NHS to provide care in the community - and the latest 'redisorganistion' following the NHS Act begin to bite. Already hospitals are offering 'top-up' payments for procedures and facilities not available on the NHS. At least one insurance company is suggesting a policy to cover these top-up payments. Some PCTs are continuing to restrict patients having hip and knee replacements and cataract operations. Meanwhile more private companies are taking over our NHS and turning NHS money into profits rather than care.'' We should continue the struggle.
Latest on the NHS- Letter from John Wood, GoingToWork.org.uk
Dear Ivor,
After a huge public outcry forced Jeremy Hunt to withdraw and rewrite his controversial new NHS competition regulations earlier this month, the government have come back with a new suggestion to put this part of last year’s Health And Social Care Act into practice.
Please help now by writing to a member of the House of Lords. But despite the toned down wording, it still in effect will compel local commissioning groups to open most services out to private markets, even if it's against the wishes of local people. This means that it still runs counter to promises given by the government as the Act narrowly passed in the House of Lords last year.
These regulations mean our NHS services will become more fragmented, and scarce resources will be diverted into wasteful private tendering costs and legal fees.
The last parliamentary chance to change the regulations lies with Peers, as a motion has been laid to oppose the regulations. Peers can bring the scrutiny the government have been so keen to avoid, and hold the government to the broken promises they made in the House last year.
Please help us ask the Lords to support the motion and safeguard our NHS services, by writing a letter or email to a Peer now. Our Adopt A Peer tool can help you to get back in touch with the Peer you wrote to before, or you can choose to contact a different one: Contact a member of the House of Lords now
Over the past months we have supported many of our members and offered a range of advice on a number of matters. We have also supported many local campaigns in support of services, including supporting the NHS.
A recent and important letter on the NHS.
Save our walk in centres and the NHS.
The Birmingham Cross City Clinical Commissioning Group has announced that the future of the city's eight NHS Walk in Centres are facing the very real possibility of closure. Sadly, given the lack of transparency, accountability and citizen involvement that appears to be the case with the Birmingham Cross City Commissioning Group, any review of these eight centres is likely to favour the interests of the private sector medical providers, such as Virgin Care. Unsurprisingly, the proposed review is being carried out by Private Consultants and although the B.C.C.C.G. are committed to a 'public consultation'; the nature and extent of that consultation is far from clear.
Thousands of Brummies use these eight NHS Walk in Centres every year and many of those are from our pensioner community. Clearly we cannot rely on the Birmingham Cross City Clinical Commissioning Group, created under the Coalition's Health and Social Care Act, to objectively look at the role of the eight NHS Walk in Centres.
We need to publicly campaign now to save these vital and Urgent Care Centres, by encouraging people to come forward with their own experiences of visiting these Centres. We should also lobby our Councillors and MPs and make clear our opposition to the closure of these eight centres.
There are other major concerns about the structure and function of the Birmingham Cross City Clinical Commissioning Group. Unlike other C.C.G.'s, the constitution of the Birmingham Group is extremely vague. It appears that Private Medical Providers (such as Virgin Care), will have representation on the Birmingham C.C.G, while patient/citizen representation will only be allowed on a consultative basis. For example, there has been one Patient Forum with limited opportunity for members of the public and interested groups to attend; and the outcome of this process remains a mystery.
We have to face the fact, that the top down re-organisation of the NHS, which no one voted for is now a reality. I would argue that the West Midlands Region of the NPC, and our branches, need to be demanding immediate representation on the Clinical Commissioning Groups in all areas. We also need to be constantly vigilant and pro-active in seeking to prevent the wholesale privatisation of our NHS in the West Midlands.
Saying NO to the closure of the eight NHS Walk in Centres in Birmingham, is part of that fight to protect our NHS.
Brian Allbutt- Birmingham.
The advice from the West Midlands Pensioners Convention has always been to become involved in your local CCG, in order to avoid privatisation. We have achieved some success and our involvement continues.
White Paper on Pensions
The National Pensioners Convention is opposed to the proposals within the White Paper and is currently considering the best stages of the campaign. In the meantime, you can view a detailed briefing on the issue from the NPC Home page under the heading- What does the White Paper on state pensions mean to you?
Universal Pensioner Benefits
The NPC has already started a campaign to defend universal pensioner benefits such as the winter fuel allowance and free bus pass. This is going to be a major issue at the next election and we will be seeking pledges from candidates that, if elected, they will defend these important benefits.
Sign Arthur’s Petition
The NPC is urging its supporters to sign an online petition aimed at reversing the Chancellor’s decision to freeze the age related tax allowances from April 2013. If we secure over 100,000 signatures we can organise a debate in Parliament. You can sign the petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/31778.
Fuel Poverty campaign
The NPC is campaigning against the government’s decision to cut the winter fuel allowance this year and to freeze it for the next 4 years.
Please ask your MP to sign Early Day Motion 653 opposing the cut.
Add your name to our petition (see Home page) by sending us your name and address or download a copy of our petition here.
End frozen pensions
For sometime the NPC has been supporting the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) in its campaign to ensure that all UK pensioners, wherever they live, receive an annual increase in their state pension. The ICBP has just launched a new petition to support their campaign.
Add your name to the online petition at: http://bit.ly/BritPensions
Members and supporters begin to gather for our meeting. And more news on the NHS!
NHS Direct cut jobs by half.
Over 750 NHS Direct staff could be made redundant by the end of the year following the closure of NHS call centres across the country, Unison has warned. According to the union, NHS Direct will close 24 of its 30 call centres and reduce its workforce by half from 1,500 to 750, making nurses and other health care professionals redundant. Unison described the move as "disastrous" for staff and patients, adding that it was "shocked" by the scale of cuts. Chesterfield, Derby, Hull, Mansfield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stockton, Wakefield, Blackburn, Kendal, Liverpool, Nantwich, Stafford, Bedford, Chatham, Chelmsford, Southampton, Ipswich, Norwich, Bristol, Ferndown in Dorset, and Truro are all at risk of being closed down. Dr Éoin Clarke, founder of Labour Think Tank 'Labour Left', said in his blog post that the chairman of NHS Direct informed his staff of the decision via an internal email which explained the process and when the cuts would be made. Sandra Maxwell, UNISON convenor at NHS Direct, said that NHS professionals who were due to be made redundant could be utilised for the new NHS 111 service "if only the Department of Health took some decisive action". NHS Direct has not confirmed that any of it sites will close.
Over 750 NHS Direct staff could be made redundant by the end of the year following the closure of NHS call centres across the country, Unison has warned. According to the union, NHS Direct will close 24 of its 30 call centres and reduce its workforce by half from 1,500 to 750, making nurses and other health care professionals redundant. Unison described the move as "disastrous" for staff and patients, adding that it was "shocked" by the scale of cuts. Chesterfield, Derby, Hull, Mansfield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stockton, Wakefield, Blackburn, Kendal, Liverpool, Nantwich, Stafford, Bedford, Chatham, Chelmsford, Southampton, Ipswich, Norwich, Bristol, Ferndown in Dorset, and Truro are all at risk of being closed down. Dr Éoin Clarke, founder of Labour Think Tank 'Labour Left', said in his blog post that the chairman of NHS Direct informed his staff of the decision via an internal email which explained the process and when the cuts would be made. Sandra Maxwell, UNISON convenor at NHS Direct, said that NHS professionals who were due to be made redundant could be utilised for the new NHS 111 service "if only the Department of Health took some decisive action". NHS Direct has not confirmed that any of it sites will close.
We have proudly organised campaigns in support of the retired member and Pensioner movement. Please consider joining us or attending one of our meetings thoughout the region. You will be made very welcome.
Women’s Network Exchange newsletter is now available. This edition covers topics such as how women are represented in the organisation, a report on the Women’s Committee of the Federation of Retired Persons Associations (FERPA) and an article focusing on the new TUC general secretary.
Our very precious NHS continues to dominate the news. Please view all our pages.
Our campaign continues and we are being heard.
The government’s obsession with forcing competition in the NHS continues despite continuing opposition from all walks of life. Huge petitions have been organised and I am pleased this organisation, very much helped in this process.
NHS clinical commissioners interim president Dr Michael Dixon, who helped draft the Health and Social Care Act, expressed dismay at section 75 regulations that will force competition in the NHS and give rights to private companies.
Dr Dixon warned GPs risk taking “their eye off the ball” and getting “bogged down” in whether or not they are being competitive.
Dr Dixon also pointed out that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) may have to defend expensive legal claims from private companies for not having put services out to tender.
“It is going to make everyone watch their back and a whole industry of people who challenge things back and forth as to whether they have been sufficiently competitive or not, and opens the window to providers to challenge the CCGs,” he said.
We welcome all your local news and photos. Thanks.
Our very precious NHS continues to dominate the news. Please view all our pages.
Our campaign continues and we are being heard.
The government’s obsession with forcing competition in the NHS continues despite continuing opposition from all walks of life. Huge petitions have been organised and I am pleased this organisation, very much helped in this process.
NHS clinical commissioners interim president Dr Michael Dixon, who helped draft the Health and Social Care Act, expressed dismay at section 75 regulations that will force competition in the NHS and give rights to private companies.
Dr Dixon warned GPs risk taking “their eye off the ball” and getting “bogged down” in whether or not they are being competitive.
Dr Dixon also pointed out that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) may have to defend expensive legal claims from private companies for not having put services out to tender.
“It is going to make everyone watch their back and a whole industry of people who challenge things back and forth as to whether they have been sufficiently competitive or not, and opens the window to providers to challenge the CCGs,” he said.
We welcome all your local news and photos. Thanks.
After today's announcements, it seems Universal benefits are under attack yet again. Press release sent and please send us your views either by e-mail, text, telephone, or post. Our views really can make a difference.
Women and Pensions survey.
The Pensions Advisory Service have launched its latest initiative to help women save for their retirement. Although many women are currently saving for retirement, from our experience helping members of the public, women tend to have lower pensions than men. This is usually due to lower salaries and taking time off work to raise children or care for a relative.
To help ensure that the right guidance is provided, they have issued a new leaflet for women and their pensions. In addition, they have also launched a survey to capture the specific areas that affect women the most when it comes to pensions. This will help tailor future guidance provided to women so that it is at its most effective.
Women who need help saving for retirement can call the PAS dedicated helpline on 0845 600 0806, use an online web form or their new web chat tool to talk about their situation with an adviser.
To complete the survey and download the leaflet visit: www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/women-and-pensions
Coventry elderly and disabled cuts petition signed by 4000 people to Coventry City Council said it was part of plans to save more than £22m from its community services budget by 2016. More than 4000 people have signed a petition opposing cuts of £6m to services for the elderly and disabled people in Coventry.
The proposals include the closure of a care home for elderly people coming out of hospital and cutting 140 carer jobs.Those with learning disabilities, Alzheimer's and mental health problems would be affected. Watch this space for information about future campaigns and debate.
Just a little information about some of our branches. Please e-mail or call for full information.
Perry Barr, Kingstanding and Oscott Pensioners Convention.
Meets every third monday of the month, which is an open meeeting and takes place between 11-0am- 1-0pm.
Refreshments provided and new members welcome. We meet at the Great Barr Leisure Centre.
We are a caring and sociable group which includes special points of interest and day trips both local and distance.
Guest speakers for all the needs of pensioners and we also help and advise on a wide range of subjects.
Ken Smith- telephone 0121 624 6981
Coventry: Every third Tuesday of the month- 10-30 am at the Council House Coventry.
The Halesowen Branch meet every third Thursday of the month at the Library-Halesowen, Shenstone Theatre at 10.15 to 12.30. Free tea/coffee, free entry. Everybody is welcome. A contact person is Gorden Craig, Tel. 0121 16024037.
Next meeting will be 21st November 2013.
Halesowen Branch News to: Halesowen Pensioners Meeting and Christmas Party is on the 12th December 2013 at the Halesowen Library, Shenstone Theatre at 10.15 to 12.30. Cost for this event will be £3.00 for member, £6.00 for visitors
The Wolverhampton Branch branch meetings are held on the last Friday of every month-, between 10-30 am- 1-0 pm. They are held at the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Wolverhampton.
Eileen Ward-Birch
Secretary
Wolverhampton Pensioners' Convention
56 Whittaker Street
Wolverhampton
WV2 2EB
07914541248
The Executive Committee meetings are held on the second Friday of every month- 10-30 am to 1-00pm. They are held in Briefing room 1, Civic Centre, Wolverhampton.
Sutton Coldfield Pensioners meet every 3rd Tuesday at Sutton United Reform Church, Brassington Avenue, SC 11.15 am to 1.00pm. The Secretary is:
Phil Ladkin
35 Blackberry Lane
Four Oaks
Sutton Coldfield
B74 4JJ
Telephone 0121 353 9180
The Warwickshire Pensioners Convention rotate their venue and meeting times due the the large geographical area. They meet monthly.
Unison, Retired Members meet at the Birmingham Unison Branch Office, McLaren Building, Birmingham. They enjoy coffee mornings, and often enjoy a speaker and the meeting is usually on the third Wednesday of each month. Members and friends are welcome and the meeting ends around midday. The meeting commences at 10-45 am.
The very same branch enjoys it's Committee meetings generally on the first Monday in every month, apart from Bank Holiday weeks. The meetings take place at 10-30am at the same venue.
Walsall, Kings Heath, Solihull and many Trade Union affiliated branches also meet monthly, as does the West Midlands Pensioners Convention. We also hold our Executive Committee meetings monthly at Birmingham. I am currently in the process of updating all our lists-contacts
Details of other groups very soon.
The latest edition of the NPC’s Campaign! Bulletin is now available. This month it looks at the campaign to support National Dignity Action Day on 1 February 2014, the NPC lobby on 27 November over the new single-tier state pension, the government’s new Bill aimed at preventing charities and voluntary groups from campaigning and new research that shows younger people support older people receiving universal benefits such as the bus pass and winter fuel allowance, plus much more.
NPC Campaign Bulletin 77 below:
Please find attached the November 2013 issue of the NPC's Campaign! Bulletin. We have also produced a print friendly version which reduces the amount of ink needed when the document is printed out.
If you wish to look at the document on screen, it is best viewed at around 121%. However, you will require the Adobe Acrobat Reader software in order to open the file. If you have any further queries please get in touch.
Best wishes
Neil Duncan-Jordan
National Officer
NPC
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We campaign for change, offer advice, information and hold regular meetings throughout the year. In many forums or branches, we also enjoy chats, socials and trips out. We can continue to make a difference.
We also have many members and supporters in the surrounding areas and the Shire Counties.
A FAILING CARE SYSTEM.
Care workers do their best that they can in a failing Care system. Many care homes for vulnerable people for example, the elderly and infirm, those with learning disabilities and dementia, living in the Midlands and indeed throughout England and Wales, have noticed that since care was privatised, care costs per patient have been driven down in this, the competitive market place.
In order to win lucrative contracts, companies have to offer cheap care and cut costs to the bone. This usually means small salaries for the care workers. For the work that care workers have to do they get paid barely the minimum wage. They have to write complex reports, provide physical care, administer medication, work with professionals and families etc. and often deal with difficult challenging behaviours. There are more good staff than bad who really care, but there is only so much they can do in the present climate. They are certainly not in it for the money.
Because local authorities have had their budgets cut by the government and in turn demand more for less from the companies providing care for them, people have had their services reduced to the extent that vulnerable people are having to make the choice between taken to the toilet or have their medication administered to them.
This is where fifteen minutes visits come in too. In a society so driven by thirst for fifteen minutes of fame, it is a scandal that our elderly, ill and vulnerable people are the victims of fifteen minutes of shame. In reality, it is the care system that has to change and not the Carers.
Mina Rodgers – NPC-National Pensioners Convention- Leicestershire.
For dignity, financial security and fulfilment for all older people and pensioners.
Please sign the petition above on Universal Pensioner Benefits and view our up to date news. Thanks.
Meetings and Speakers.
Have we been dreaming, or have the last ten months of disaster as David Cameron tenure is quaintly referred to as just happened.
I can imagine what perhaps did take place.
Following the Fiscal Studies Report that said Pensioners, the lower paid and less fortunate would be the main losers, the Con Dem Coalition attempted to spin away any criticism.
T
But first some news about public transport:
300 new buses for the West Midlands.
Hundreds of new bus stops, buses and smartcards are part of plans worth £81m to improve public transport in the West Midlands.
The two-year agreement between Centro and National Express West Midlands, includes a revamp of Dudley bus station and a bus station at Merry Hill.
The plans include new "talking buses", which use audio-visual equipment to let passengers know of their next stop.
The folowing affects most campaigning organisations.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/lobbying-bill
People power is at the heart of 38 Degrees. We don't spend too much, but our campaigns do cost money. Without being able to spend - employing staff, buying billboards, or printing leaflets about where politicians stand on local issues - we just won’t be able to make the issues which matter to us all, like the NHS and fair taxation, top of the agenda at the next election.
The three main political parties have a combined membership of around 433,000. [5] There are 1.7 million of us. Per member, the parties would be able to spend over £130 - 38 Degrees would be able to spend around 23p. [6] Put simply, this will make it hard to influence the next election, and every one after that.
Can you email Chloe Smith now?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/lobbying-bill
It’s not clear whether this law is just badly written, or if the government is simply fed up of being criticised - but it’s a huge threat. And it doesn’t only affect us: from big charities to tiny single-issue campaigns, the sector is scared and furious.
The National Pensioner’s Parliament has now taken place in the Opera House, at the Winter Gardens, after an opening procession along the Promenade.
The conference was held until the Thursday, with issues including state benefits, the winter fuel allowance, hospital care and uniting the generations all being discussed.
Organiser Neil Duncan-Jordan said: “Our Pensioners’ Parliament is all about giving older people a voice.
“We want pensioners to let us know what their concerns are."
Around 1,000 delegates attended the Parliament. It was considered to be a considerable success
N
New cap on elements of welfare spending from April 2015.
Work and pensions budget cut by 9.5%.
Cap to be set in cash terms every four years.
Housing benefit, tax credits, disability living allowance to be included.
State pension to be excluded.
Pensioners living abroad to lose winter fuel allowance under new "temperature test".
Cap to be set in cash terms every four years.
I also intend to report from all areas on how these cuts could well affect you. More information below about new developments, plus lots more and even in these difficult times, I will still offer up to date information.
And we must not forget our younger members.
Millions of people currently entitled to the state second pension will be worse off as a result of the government's pension changes, the TUC has claimed.
The report says that anyone with a long working history is likely to lose out, by as much as £2,000 a year.
The second state pension will be abolished when the new single-tier pension begins in April 2016.
I now include the following Press Release:
Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has warned that the Spending Review may well have a detrimental impact on older people once the detail has been published.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: “Much of the detail as to the impact of today’s Spending Review on older people is not yet known, but we may well find that once again pensioners are being told one thing and experiencing another. For example, the chancellor has pledged more money for our social care system, but it won’t be anywhere near enough. The system is not just in crisis – in many parts of the country it has already collapsed. Services are being rationed, costs are rising and the quality of care is sometimes shocking. We won’t improve care until staff are properly trained and paid, and care is seen as something that should be dignified and compassionate rather than seeing what can be done in a mere 15 minute visit.”
“Setting a cap on welfare spending and including pensioner benefits such as the winter fuel allowance and concessionary travel could also mean that in future the government ends up cutting these benefits regardless of people’s needs. The chancellor also failed to mention whether the triple lock for the state pension will survive after the general election. This will concern millions of pensioners who remember what happened after the link with earnings was abolished and how their incomes fell in relation to the rest of society. Likewise, linking payment of the winter fuel allowance to a temperature test could impact not just on those living abroad, but also those in Britain, depending on the date at which the temperature is recorded and the level which the government decides is cold enough to qualify for the payment. None of this detail has been published yet and there could be very serious unintended consequences of this policy. The devil is clearly going to be in the detail of today’s announcement.”
Thanks and back again to our NHS.
A section of a article by Dave Prentice- General Secretary of UNISON.
The 65th birthday of the NHS is a time to celebrate. Despite everything that has been thrown at it by successive governments, our NHS remains the fairest and most cost-effective health service in the world - second to none.
The Olympics last year showed us how highly the health service is regarded.
Even better, the NHS tops the list of icons that make Britons proudest - ahead of the armed forces and Team GB. When asked which anniversary in 2013 made them most proud to be British, the public put the 65th birthday of the NHS ahead of the Queen's coronation.
It is only right then that up and down the country Unison has been organising and joining its many supporters in highlighting and celebrating the amazing work performed by the NHS and its staff.
It treats more than 1.5 million patients every single day, 14,000 babies are born each week and more than nine million procedures and interventions performed each year.
Every patient is seen on the basis of medical need - not on how much they can pay - and Unison wants to keep it that way.
Messages from 38 Degrees:
Dear Ivor,
This is HUGE news. Today, we got the verdict in the court case against health secretary Jeremy Hunt, which 38 Degrees members helped to pay for.
It's the result we had all hoped for: the judge ruled that Jeremy Hunt acted illegally. He's been ordered to scrap his plan to cut A&E and maternity services at Lewisham Hospital, south London. [1]
This is fantastic news for the people of Lewisham. But it's also great news for the rest of us. If Jeremy Hunt had got away with this in Lewisham, no hospital would have been safe.
When the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign decided to take Jeremy Hunt to court, thousands of us from all across the UK stepped in to help. Together, chipping in whatever we could afford, we raised the £20,000 they needed to launch their legal challenge. [2]
It's not often that ordinary people come together to take the government to court. That was an impressive achievement in itself. But to win – and to prove that Jeremy Hunt is breaking the law – is simply amazing.
There will be so much more to do if we're going to stop and reverse this government's damaging attacks on our health service. In Lewisham, there's a chance the government may appeal the court's decision. Everywhere else, there are cuts, privatisation, and low care standards for us to battle against.
Today is a great win - but the Save our NHS campaign will need to go on tomorrow!
But let's take a little bit of time to celebrate first. Here are two ways to toast this success:
1. Raise a glass this evening to all the people who made this breakthrough possible. The 38 Degrees members who donated. All the other 38 Degrees members who are involved in the Save Our NHS campaign. The brilliant local campaigners in the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign who have worked tirelessly for months. The crack legal team at Leigh Day solicitors. And the wonderful local NHS staff who've just kept going despite their hospital being under threat.
2. Forward this e-mail to any friends or contacts who could do with a little bit of inspiration.Sometimes it can feel like it's impossible for us to make a difference. Today's success proves that when enough of us work together, we really can. People power works!
Here's what Dr Louise Irvine, chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, has to say:
"We're delighted by the judgement and the support we've got from Lewisham and beyond, especially from 38 Degrees members who donated to make today's victory possible and helped give us the confidence to stand up to Jeremy Hunt in court".
Thank you for everything you do,
David, Susannah, Ian, Travis, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team
Dear Ivor,
Great news - we’ve done it! Thanks to over six thousand donations by 38 Degrees members the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign can now pay for a team of expert lawyers to challenge Jeremy Hunt’s decision to slash services at Lewisham Hospital. If our day in court is successful, it could help stop the tide of hospital cuts taking place across the country.
Dr Louise Irvine, Chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, and 38 Degrees member, had this message for us:
“Thanks to the generosity of thousands of 38 Degrees members, and individual donations from Lewisham people and campaign supporters, we're now able to take Jeremy Hunt to court over his decision to slash Lewisham hospital - a decision he made against the advice of experts, local residents, and practitioners.
"It’s great that we can now focus with our legal team on bringing the best case possible - rather than worrying about whether we can afford the funds for our legal costs.
"Thank you all for your support - whether you marched on the streets of Lewisham, signed the petition, or donated money towards our legal fund.”
Once again we’ve shown that when it matters, we’re willing to stand together. Thousands of us chipped in to support the people of Lewisham as they fight against their local hospital cuts - in what has become a test case for the Government’s NHS agenda.
38 Degrees Team.
A
Homepage of the West Midlands Pensioners Convention UK.
Welcome.
We elect all officers annually at our AGM. This includes the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Women's Officer, Magazine Editor, Press and Publicity Officer and the Webmaster. Members are also elected annually to our Executive Committee, which also meets every month.
We held our first Centro lobby at Coventry in November 2013 and we were there at Walsall at the Exhibition bus. We met Centro again on January 21st 2014. The meeting discussed the proposed cuts. Our agenda included the cuts, ring and ride service and other important matters. Together with our own roadshow campaign, and Dignity Day of Action that is ten lobbies in as many weeks. Excellent support.
Press Release
West Midlands Pensioners Convention
GREAT NEWS FOR PENSIONERS!
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention regard the policies that CENTRO continue to go that extra mile in extending the Pensioners Concessionary Travel pass to the regions rail and tram networks as a huge victory and relief for pensioners right across our region. It is a vindication of our consistent and determined campaign to protect this important service for all our senior citizens.
There is also great news for struggling families, with the recommendation that child fares on the region buses should not now be increased.The West Midlands Pensioners Convention, have opposed any increase in child bus fares. We know from our own experiences and Campaigning on the streets of our towns and cities, that there was concerns about this option.
When we launched the “Save Our Ring and Ride” we could not have imagined signing up tens of thousands to our petition and talking to so many people during our lobbies and meetings since November 2013.
We therefore welcome the retention of the Train and Tram service and the Ring and Ride Service, albeit the latter being on a six day basis and at an increased cost. We have reservations about these latter aspects of the proposals and we have formally submitted our views about these issues. We also have concerns about administrative cuts and we will be contacting Unite and other relevant Trade Unions.
However, the proposals go a long way in relation to our members wishes. Our campaigns have included seven lobbies, many thousands of signatures, many meetings and our own huge consultative exercise.
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention lobbed this important meeting of the Integrated Transport Authority, on the 14th February 2014.
Contact: Press and Publicity Officer Brian Allbutt : 07586872063 e- mail [email protected]
Regional Secretary Ivor Timson: 07983559612 e- mail [email protected]
More news soon in our paper News Magazine and of course on this page. So please keep logging on.
Together in 2014, we can make a difference.
Coming soon a page for humour. And our very own online petition. See other pages for our 'jokes.'
Received articles from Wolverhampton and jokes from Solihull and now published some just for starters. Plus now we intend to have a poetry page. Most will be published on our articles debate page.
Another supporter has asked for the following to be included.
Please go to both my petitions to help the elderly. Sign and pass on, also asking your friends to do the same.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/56676
Also, I have a website dedicated to how badly Britain's pensioners have been treated since the 80's.
Michael Thompson
CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND UNIVERSAL PENSIONER BENEFITS such as the winter fuel allowance and bus passes “Hands off universal pensioner benefits” Please sign the petition here!
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49599
And more news on the NHS below and many new articles.
Welcome.
We elect all officers annually at our AGM. This includes the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Women's Officer, Magazine Editor, Press and Publicity Officer and the Webmaster. Members are also elected annually to our Executive Committee, which also meets every month.
We held our first Centro lobby at Coventry in November 2013 and we were there at Walsall at the Exhibition bus. We met Centro again on January 21st 2014. The meeting discussed the proposed cuts. Our agenda included the cuts, ring and ride service and other important matters. Together with our own roadshow campaign, and Dignity Day of Action that is ten lobbies in as many weeks. Excellent support.
Press Release
West Midlands Pensioners Convention
GREAT NEWS FOR PENSIONERS!
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention regard the policies that CENTRO continue to go that extra mile in extending the Pensioners Concessionary Travel pass to the regions rail and tram networks as a huge victory and relief for pensioners right across our region. It is a vindication of our consistent and determined campaign to protect this important service for all our senior citizens.
There is also great news for struggling families, with the recommendation that child fares on the region buses should not now be increased.The West Midlands Pensioners Convention, have opposed any increase in child bus fares. We know from our own experiences and Campaigning on the streets of our towns and cities, that there was concerns about this option.
When we launched the “Save Our Ring and Ride” we could not have imagined signing up tens of thousands to our petition and talking to so many people during our lobbies and meetings since November 2013.
We therefore welcome the retention of the Train and Tram service and the Ring and Ride Service, albeit the latter being on a six day basis and at an increased cost. We have reservations about these latter aspects of the proposals and we have formally submitted our views about these issues. We also have concerns about administrative cuts and we will be contacting Unite and other relevant Trade Unions.
However, the proposals go a long way in relation to our members wishes. Our campaigns have included seven lobbies, many thousands of signatures, many meetings and our own huge consultative exercise.
The West Midlands Pensioners Convention lobbed this important meeting of the Integrated Transport Authority, on the 14th February 2014.
Contact: Press and Publicity Officer Brian Allbutt : 07586872063 e- mail [email protected]
Regional Secretary Ivor Timson: 07983559612 e- mail [email protected]
More news soon in our paper News Magazine and of course on this page. So please keep logging on.
Together in 2014, we can make a difference.
Coming soon a page for humour. And our very own online petition. See other pages for our 'jokes.'
Received articles from Wolverhampton and jokes from Solihull and now published some just for starters. Plus now we intend to have a poetry page. Most will be published on our articles debate page.
Another supporter has asked for the following to be included.
Please go to both my petitions to help the elderly. Sign and pass on, also asking your friends to do the same.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/56676
Also, I have a website dedicated to how badly Britain's pensioners have been treated since the 80's.
Michael Thompson
CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND UNIVERSAL PENSIONER BENEFITS such as the winter fuel allowance and bus passes “Hands off universal pensioner benefits” Please sign the petition here!
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49599
And more news on the NHS below and many new articles.
ARCHIVE here find back issues and news
Campaigns Past
Rally- Marchers prepare at Birmingham UK
Live and breaking news and please visit our blog-news.
Members gathering for the Meeting after our March and Rally.
BEDROOM TAX
From April, anyone in receipt of housing benefits will have their benefit entitlement cut if they are deemed to have an extra bedroom. Although there are some exceptions depending on circumstances, many people under the age of 60 are set to be affected and will have to find upwards of £12 from their dwindling household budgets. Many of our members could well be affected.
Perry Barr, Kingstanding and Oscott Pensioners Convention.
Meets every third monday of the month, which is an open meeeting and takes place between 11-0am- 1-0pm.
Refreshments provided and new members welcome. We meet at the Great Barr Leisure Centre.
We are a caring and sociable group which includes special points of interest and day trips both local and distance.
Guest speakers for all the needs of pensioners and we also help and advise on a wide range of subjects.
Ken Smith- telephone 0121 624 69
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Please view our latest news for the pensioner movement.
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