 |
||
| Home · About Us · Who’s Who? · How to join · What’s New? · Bulletin Board | ||
| Contrail · Welfare · Useful Links · Memories · Branches · Obituaries · AGM | ||
| Charlies · RSATS · Dental Schemes · Travel Insurance | ||
Bulletin Board
| CPI / RPI info | General Branch info | Where Are They Now? | Info for ex Armed Forces members |
| Tax & NI | Societies | Scam Warning | RSA Members Ads |
* * * *
CPI/RPI Indexation
Latest Report from Tony Cowell, - 12th November 2010
You will be aware of the Coalition Government’s proposal to replace the Retail Price Index (RPI) with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the annual uprating of pensions and other state benefits. This is in breach of pre election assurances, given by the three main parties, that there would be no changes to index linking.
The Government has also expressed its aim to extend the ability to change to CPI to certain pension schemes, which will include the CAAPS.
The Department of Work and Pensions has said that it believes that the rate of CPI is a more appropriate measure of inflation faced by pensioners than RPI, but has provided no evidence to support this assertion. The Royal Statistical Society, which represents the UK’s leading statisticians, has said that CPI fails to reflect the spending patterns of pensioners and the rising costs they face. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that most pensioner households are not shielded from many of the costs excluded from the CPI, and the UK Statistics Authority, which oversees official data, has also said that they do not believe the CPI should become the primary measure of price inflation until housing costs are included.
Should the Government’s proposal be allowed to proceed it will make a significant difference to pensions over a period of time. Taken cumulatively, the effect over a number of years could be significant. Independent Actuarial Consultants Towers Watson have found that the switch would mean that an occupational pensioner currently receiving a pension of £10,000 a year will be more than £800 a year worse off by 2016. The Office of Budget Responsibility forecasts that by 2017 the CPI will result in pension increases of 8.5% less than the RPI would have produced. When the whole purpose of pension indexation is to maintain the value and purchasing power of the pension these are losses too large for pensioners to bear. Many will gradually fall into poverty and have to depend on state benefits in order to survive. This is a matter of grave concern to us. There is no good reason why we should suffer a lifetime of financial detriment to solve a short-term deficit, which is not of our making.
A number of Members of Parliament have laid an Early Day Motion (EDM 1032) in the following terms:
That this House notes the Government’s proposal to use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rather than the Retail Price Index (RPI) for the price indexation of benefits, tax credits and public service pensions; further notes that the CPI is consistently lower than the RPI; expresses concern over the impact that this will have on the incomes of pensioners and other vulnerable groups; recognises the concerns held by the Royal Statistical Society and the UK Statistics Authority that CPI excludes many housing costs which are borne by the majority of pensioner households; and calls on the Government to take these concerns into account and postpone the change from RPI to CPI until the appropriateness of CPI as a measure of price increases borne by pensioner households can be fully evaluated.
If you wish to protect your future pension please write to your MP, expressing your concern, and asking them to support EDM 1032 and make suitable representations to Ministers.
The contact details for MPs can be found putting www.parliament into a search engine.
Further information will follow when available.
Tony Cowell
CPI/RPI Indexation update 30th January 2011
In a reply dated 10/01/2011 to a letter from our Central Committee member Barry, Mark Hunter - (Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle) wrote on House of Commons notepaper as follows:
|
This seems to be just a re-write of the statement from Steve Webb, the Pensions Minister. Well ! What a surprise.
Roger Turner, Executive Officer of the Occupational Pensioners’ Allience writes:
|
This is illustrated in the table below, supplied by Matthew Baines, our Treasurer, which shows that the CPI has been consistently below the RPI since 2000. The graph shows the cumilative effects of RPI and CPI increases since 2000 - Make up your own mind !
 |
 |
RPI/CPI UPDATE - 31st JANUARY 2011
from Dave Hobday, our pensions rep
The Government, in spite of its apparent climb down from its original proposals, is still conducting a consultation exercise until March. At the moment it appears not to wish to enforce a change from RPI to CPI on private sector schemes where RPI is the only quoted index in their Trust Deeds and Rules i.e. hard-wired. For Schemes which do not quote the RPI as their sole index, however, they seem to wish to give the choice to Scheme sponsors. The CAAPS will be affected by this as the definition of the index used by our scheme is:
'Index' means the General Index of Retail Prices for 'all items' published by the Office for National Statistics or such other index as shall, with the agreement of HM Revenue & Customs, as necessary, be determined by the Trustees from time to time to apply to the Scheme and notified by the Trustees to the Members affected thereby.
From this you will see that consideration of an alternative index is a possibility. At the moment the two sponsoring employers of our Scheme, CAA and NATS, have not indicated their intentions, so the Trustees have not yet been asked to consider the possibility. It may be that this will not occur until the Government publishes its final intentions following completion of its consultation exercise.
In the meantime the RSA is taking action by making a submission to the Government's Consultation Paper, opposing the Government's proposals***. It is also supporting the Occupational Pensioners Alliance (OPA), to which it is affiliated, in its objection and resistance to the proposals.
A letter has been sent to the CAAPS Board of Trustees stating our views and position.
I hope this addresses the concerns you may have and reassures you that the RSA is, and will continue, doing all it can to ensure retention of the RPI as the appropriate index for use by our Scheme.
***Update 14th February. Anne, our Chairman, has now submitted our submission to the Government's Consultation Paper, opposing the Government's proposals.
How would you have faired with CPI this year? - Update 25th March 2011
| cpi this year rpi this year Difference of | 4.4% 5.5% 1.10% |
 |  |
* * * *
Information from the Branches
Bernard Hanley RIP
NW Branch regret to announce the death of Bernard Hanley a former ATCO at Manchester. A Mass will be held at St.Mary's RC Church in Stockport on Monday,9th May commencing at 9.30am
* * * *
Would you please note that the NW Branch proposed Canal Trip on the 18th May has been cancelled due to lack of support, however the lunch at The Ring O' Bells in Marple will go ahead at 12.30 pm. All are invited.
* * * *
URGENT - CAN ANYONE HELP WESTERN HOME COUNTIES?
The WHC committee have decided to keep on planning their bi-monthly meetings, despite still having no volunteer to fully take over the role of Treasurer
The next meeting will be on Tuesday the 13th December in the Church hall.
But before that we have our annual visit to Q-Vadis for Christmas/ Autumn Lunch. Details and an application form can be found in the BRANCHES part of this web-page.
However, if you think you could become voluntary Treasurer for the Western Home Counties,
please send an email to
and the message will be passed on to Dennis Baker.
* * * *
Gatwick Airport ATC Staff re-union 16th June 2012
Following the success of previous years Gatwick "Get togethers" another has been organised for Saturday evening on 16th June 2012 as detailed below:
Venue : Tythe Barn, Gatwick Manor , Lowfield Heath, RH6 0LD [As last year]
Time: 1930 - 2330
It would be great to see as many of you there as possible, be you past/present ATCO, ATSA, Managers, Admin, Engineers or Drivers.
For further details contact : Brian Jackson, 01293 601026 or e-mail brian.jackson@nats.co.uk
* * * *
WHERE ARE THEY NOW....... ?
We have received a number of requests to provide a facility for retired staff to contact ex-colleagues and friends, or pass on information which may be general interest to members.
- Where are they now?
- Whatever happened to ...
VERONICA HUGHES (was Cottle - divorced - nee McHugh)
Veronica worked at Eastern Radar in the late 70's - Don Gilham would like to get in touch.
Don thinks Veronica may have gone to Eurocontrol however, was that a picture of her in Contrail?
Veronica, if you're reading this, send an email to
and it will get passed on to Don.
NORMAN ROBERT NORFOLK, known as Roy ?
We understand he joined what was then the MTCA in 1945 after serving as a spitfire pilot in the RAF and then as an ATCO with us. He worked at the original Prestwick Centre and then at the Southern A.T.C.C. at Heathrow and briefly at West Drayton as a D.D., before finishing up at Bournemouth, when he retired in 1972. His widow, Betty, is looking for information about his service in both the RAF and later in ATC since he is to be the subject of a book!
If anyone has knowledge or information about Roy Norfolk, please contact by e-mail to and I will forward it to Betty.
KLEM PERARA
Douglas Liddle woul like to know if anyone has any knowledge of or information on Klem Perara, an Air Traffic Engineer.
If anyone has knowledge or information about Klem, please contact by e-mail to and I will forward it to Douglas.
* * * *
Information for ex Armed forces members
The following was received from Ted Pillinger, Secretary of the EASTERN(Stansted) Branch
The following organisation may be of interest to many of our members if they had served in any of the armed forces.
'In particular any members who served as regulars in the armed services between WW2 and 1975 for a short or medium period would not have been given any pension rights although their services pay would have been reduced in respect of an anticipated pension.
I am a member of CAFF (Combined Armed Forces Federation) and would benefit from any changes made by the government. But I support the CAFF campaign because there are many people out there who have served their country and do not have the benefit of a pension like ours or even any recognition of their service to their country. These people may have served in Korea, Malaysia, Kenya or Aden.
Members of the CAFF have been trying to enlist their MP's help in getting recognition for these people and I have a written response from my MP saying that he supports the campaign.
Some of our members who are on low pensions (as mentioned) could well benefit, if they served, if the government revised the position with respect to service pensions.
CAFF is also active on a range of welfare matters and other activities supporting current and ex members of HM Forces.
For further information on CAFF go to; The CAFF UK site
* * * *
NI/Tax merger consultation announced
The government will consult on merging the operation of National Insurance and income tax but pensioners will not pay more tax as a result, George Osborne has announced.
Delivering his Budget, Osborne said using separate income tax and NI systems forced extra costs on businesses and taxpayers, and must be combined to make them "fit for the modern age". But he said pensioners would not pay more tax as a result.
The government said it would consult this year on the options, stages and timing of reform. It said it will maintain the contributory principle and will reflect this in any changes it brings forward - also confirming it will not extend NICs to individuals above State Pension Age or to other forms of income such as pensions, savings and dividends
The idea of merging income tax and NI to create a basic tax of 32% was recommended by the Office of Tax Simplification in its review of tax reliefs - published on 3 March.
The OTS also recommended ending contracted-out rebates - a move the government has announced it will now take forward as part of its plans to launch a single-tier state pension.
Be assured that your committee will be watching !
* * * *
HQ Golf Society (retired section)
Autumn Meeting 4 October 2011 - Lingfield Park Golf Club - Results
The society assembled at Lingfield Park for the last meeting of the year. Mike Poffley was host and organised an excellent event Alan McMichael having to remain at home to look after his wife.
10 members met for a quick lunch of sandwiches and chips between 1200 and 1230. The weather was good but overcast, the company was excellent and the meal was appreciated by all. Light winds should have made the event competitive but Kevin McAnuff was the decisive winner. He would have swept the board but for the ruling of one prize per person.
Results
| Overall winner | Kevin McAnuff | 41 | First Prize |
| Second | Colin Chisholm | 32 | |
| Third | Graeme Stagg | 32 | |
| Front 9 | Graeme Stagg | 18 | Second Prize |
| Back 9 | Colin Chisholm | 19 | Third Prize |
Also attending: Mike Poffley (host), Bob Jeans, Dave Lowry, Stan Abrahams, Ted Pillinger, Jim Lawson and Doug Bush
Meetings for next year will be Spring, Summer (Army Club Aldershot) and Autumn. Spring and Autumn venues to be announced.
Our meetings are open to all retired staff (despite our name) and guests who can attend our venues in the SE of England. If you play, it is a good day out, a chance to meet old work friends, share anecdotes, put the world to rights, have a good meal, quaff the odd glass and have a good (or at least enjoyable) round of golf. What more could you want? Should you wish to attend or be informed of future meetings please email
Honours 2011
| Mill Green | The Alan Mcmichael Cup | Graeme Stagg |
| Aldershot | Summer Meeting | George Ennis |
| Lingfield Park | Autumn Meeting | Kevin McAnuff |
* * * *
WARNING OVER SCAM INVOLVING ELDERLY VETERANS
The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) is warning of a scam
aimed at gaining access to people’s bank account savings and which appears to
be targeted at the elderly, including Armed Forces veterans.
The scam involves the victims receiving a telephone call from someone
stating they are from their bank. The person will say that they need to get a
new bank card and that it will be delivered by courier. A person posing as
a courier then attends the address and takes the victims bank card in
exchange for a ‘new’ one. The new bank card is a fake and the offenders will
then go on to use the bank card from the victim to make numerous fraudulent
transactions. It is thought that they obtain the pin number through the
telephone conversation.
At least two of the four known victims of this scam have been Armed Forces
veterans.
SPVA’s Head of Veterans Services, Jon Parkin, said:
"Whilst there is nothing to suggest that the Veterans Community is
specifically being targeted, it is important for veterans to be aware of this scam
and to remain vigilant. If people are approached in this way, they should
refuse to become involved and should report the matter to their local
police station."
The warning was issued after the Police contacted the Agency and requested
help in making veterans groups aware.
The RSA would advise that members should never give out pin numbers, expired cards or personal details to anyone, no matter how plausible they sound.
If you do have an expired card, cut it up. If you find this too difficult to do, ask a family member or friend to do it for you.
* * * *
One of our soon-to-be-retired-retired colleagues from Gatwick is offering discounted rental rates for his 2 bed roomed apartment in the South of France. Click www.collioure-apartment.biz for details
* * * *
Fancy a quiet stay in a self-catering cottage in the Forest of Dean? Click Holiday Cottage.pdf to see what one of our members has to offer!
* * * *
If you have any issues or concerns with this website, please contact the web master - email