06/11/2014
UNISON RETIRED MEMBERS
BLACKPOOL LOCAL GOVERNMENT BRANCH
NEWSLETTER No 7 Autumn 2014
Welcome to Unison retired members` newsletter. The first item to bring to your attention is that our AGM 2015 will be held at Blackpool Town Hall on Tuesday 13th January 2015 at 11am. If any retired member would like to hold the position of either Chair, Secretary or Treasurer then please contact either myself or else the branch office for a nomination form prior to this meeting. The votes will take place at the said AGM. I have held the position of secretary for 3 years now and have decided to stand down and give somebody else a chance.
It has been decided that any member willing to represent our group at the 2015 Unison Retired Members Conference need to make their intentions known prior to the AGM and nominations will be voted on at the AGM.
If any member has any issues at all that they feel would benefit our group please inform me and they shall be submitted for discussion. We hope to reach out to all members and hopefully attract more members to attend our meetings. In order to do this we need to know what it is that you would want.
We meet on the first Tuesday of each month at Blackpool Town Hall. The meetings start at 11am. Tea and coffee are available. I have arranged for speakers to come to talk to us at most of our meetings this year. They have spoke on a huge range of subjects. If you yourself have any suggestions of speakers, or if you would like to come along and talk to us yourself, then please get in touch and let us share your knowledge. We are a small friendly group hoping to expand.
I would like to point out that we used to meet on Saturday mornings at the Town Hall. Unfortunately, due to cut backs, we were asked to either change venue or to alter the meetings to a weekday. Hence we now meet on Tuesdays. I have been asked to try to get Saturday mornings back. I have contacted room bookings with this request and been advised that this is not at all possible. With this in mind I have taken the liberty of booking the Council Chambers to continue with the first Tuesday of every month.
We are affiliated members to Blackpool Trades Council. Also we are affiliated to National Pensioners Convention. The NPC hold a Pensioners` Parliament at Blackpool at the Winter Gardens each year . At this years` Parliament a range of younger speakers helped to get the message across that the generations were united in their support for public services and the welfare state. The next Pensioners Parliament will take place 16th to the 18th June 2015 and those of us who volunteered as stewards are looking forward to doing the same next year. For information about the NPC`s policies visit www.npcuk.org
INFORMATION :
I am informed that if you want to receive a copy of your payslip when your
Lancashire pension increases in April and May each year, you need to send in a written request
to the Lancashire Pension Service in the same way as you do for a paper copy of your P60. Otherwise you will have to access payslips on-line.
If you need to prove your identity to an organisation such as a financial institution or a retailer and you don’t have a passport or new style driving licence, it may be worth considering the acquisition of a citizen card at a cost of £15 (considerably cheaper than a passport if you don’t need one). Although primarily targeted at young people it is also useful for anyone no longer driving or having no need of a passport. Further details can be obtained from www.citizencard.com or by contacting Citizen Cardat 36 Bromells Road, London SW4 0BG.
We are planning to meet for a Christmas meal at the KWIZEEN RESTAURANT on King Street Blackpool on Wednesday 10th December. Any retired member who would like to join us please contact me well in advance for details.
I need to finish off with a word of thanks to all my members, especially those who have attended the monthly meetings. I have enjoyed the experience this last three years of being your secretary. I t has been a pleasure to come to the meetings and think of things we can take part in together. I feel I have made some good friends. Thank you for all the support you have given me.
2015 DIARY
MEETINGS HELD AT BLACKPOOL Town hall in Council Chambers room booked from 10.45am til 12.30 on the following dates:
JANUARY 13th AGM
FEBRUARY 3rd
MARCH 3rd
APRIL 7th
MAY 5th
JUNE 9th
JULY 7TH
AUGUST 4th
SEPTEMBER 8th
OCTOBER 6th
NOVEMBER 3rd
DECEMBER 8th
All MEETINGS TO COMMENCE AT 11am
Tea and coffee available
