Back together and moving forward: the latest from Lisa's desk

CSPA General Secretary,? Lisa Ray shares her thoughts on the past month.

We have been busy following up from the?Annual General Meeting?held in October. As might be expected, numbers were slightly down with some groups not represented at the event, but we had an enjoyable and interesting couple of days meeting up in person after the long break caused by Covid lockdowns.

We were able to share the work that had been underway over the last year to make our organisation more attractive to those coming up to retirement.

This included a presentation on the new website and database which will allow for online membership applications and a better experience for those who do join us as we will be able to tailor our communications more closely with their interests.

We also debated several motions that would implement changes to the CSPA rules, to allow us more flexibility in the way we operate, improve representation of women on the Executive Council and expand membership of CSPA to more Civil Servants- we are now welcoming applications from those who have a right to a (deferred)?Civil Service Pension, but may not yet be at pension age.

Following a successful presentation last week to the over 50’s network at the Department for Transport, we hope that this will lead to more applications for membership and many more active supporters of CSPA.

Two motions were remitted to the EC to consider further. One concerning the group network, unfortunately experiencing difficulties in some areas due to a lack of volunteers. Another which suggests the possibility of holding AGM’s online and then in person in alternative years. With declining attendance and members becoming more used to online events, we will need to consider carefully how we can meet the needs of members and ensure a fair process as we meet the challenges we are facing.

We also marked our?70th?Anniversary?with a special toast and guest speaker at dinner – Sue Gray who is the Permanent Secretary for the?Union and Constitution in the Cabinet Office.?Sue’s speech was welcomed by many at the dinner as she expressed her pride in the work of the Civil Service.

We held a further event at the start of November to celebrate?70 years of CSPA?with a parliamentary reception at the?House of Commons. We were so pleased to welcome so many local group representatives and their constituency MPs.?Clive Betts MP,?a long-time supporter of CSPA hosted the event with us and shared the importance of protecting those who have been in public service.?

The event provided an excellent opportunity to highlight the value of our work in CSPA and to help Parliamentarians understand the importance of increasing State and Public Sector Pensions in line with the cost of living.