Pensions & Commutation News

Yet another Government betrayal - Winter Fuel allowances to be substantially reduced.

The Winter Fuel Allowance will be cut from 2011 by £100 to £300 for households over 80 and by £50 to £200 for households under 80. More deaths from colder Winters = less pension payouts!
An opportunity to protest - fill in this form.


South Wales Police Force attempting to claw back disabled pension.
ADVICE; If anyone gets such a letter, do not panic. Contact us by phone or email for advice.
Important: Do not make any repayment at this stage, or offer of repayment!
Ask for an extension of time to reply and we will seek advise through Narpo HQ, who are now aware of the matter.


It's at times like this that a reality shock takes place, reminding non-members that it costs just £17.52 per year to have someone to turn to for advice and guidance! Note: This payment covers both parties; husband, wife and/or partner. Don't wait for something to happen to you! - Click here to join now

Slight subscription increase - Don't panic, just 60p for the whole year. More here

Pay increase - Consumer Price Index – September 2010.
Information has been received from our Head office that the Index for the month of September was recorded as 3.1%. Since the recent announcement in the Emergency Budget on the 22nd June 2010, the CPI is now the index that will affect our Police Pensions from next April and will therefore be used by the NEC to set the levels of subscription to NARPO for the coming year starting January 2011.

Note: Police Pensions were previously linked to increases in the Retail Price Index (RPI) which stood at 4.6% in September!

So, that makes it 1.5% less than it should have been! (22nd Oct)

Injury on Duty - Appeal in our favour - See documents here and here (13th October)

Winter Fuel Allowance (18th August)
Government threatens to break pre-election promise over winter fuel allowance (PDF file)

Injury award review - latest Press release (PDF file)

The Budget and the effect on our Pension increases (28th June 2010) (PDF file)

Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation
National Pensioners Convention (Very informative)

Injury on Duty awards information
From Derbyshire branch of Narpo more here... (PDF file)

Download important information for all Police Tax Payers (PDF file)

Benefits Advice
Following the announcement in the November edition of the NARPO News of the retirement of our Benefits Advice Consultant, Angela Maxwell, we have made alternative arrangement to provide members with this service. Angela’s last article appeared in the November edition of the magazine and her helpline continues to operate until 30th November 2009. More here (PDF file)

We have been in discussions with a company called ‘Wordshop’ and they have agreed to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Angela Maxwell. They will be providing articles on benefits for each quarterly magazine starting in February 2010. More details here (PDF file)
28th November

No pension increase this year - 2009/2010
RPI in September is a minus figure and cosequently our pensions will not rise this year. Alan Greaves at Cardiff has raised the question of whether this minus figure will be taken into account when our pensions are reviewed in 2010. As yet he has not had a reply. A copy of the Narpo letter informing us can be read as a
PDF file here

Pension Advice Slips – CAPITA You will all have noticed that 2 Advice slips were issued for the February Pension. The first issue did not contain full details of deductions – albeit the total amounts due were correct. The supplementary advice slip did show all the deductions. However, some members felt aggrieved that the Narpo item referred to “Glamorgan Narpo”

The system that the three branches covering the South Wales Police have adopted for the last number of years is that the secretary of the Glamorgan branch takes responsibility of liaising with the pension provider to facilitate this. On receipt of the deducted subscriptions, the correct amount is then forwarded to both Cardiff and Swansea branches. The main reason for doing it this way was that Rhondda Cynon Taf would only deal with one representative, and so Mr Derrick Rastin the Glamorgan Secretary volunteered to take on this task.

This year, with the pension provider now being Capita, they assumed because he was the Secretary of Glamorgan Narpo, then the funds were destined for his branch only, which is not the case. Please do not think there is anything underhand in this matter, in fact Derrick does an awful lot of extra work on behalf of both Cardiff and Swansea branches to ensure their subscriptions are collected. He intends to ask Capita if they will list next year’s deduction as just Narpo, to avoid any confusion. Here are their address details:

CAPITA - Sheffield Head Office

We have a total of fourteen sites spread throughout the UK and Ireland.
Sheffield head office

Capita Hartshead
Hartshead House
2 Cutlers Gate
Sheffield
S4 7TL

Telephone: 0114 273 7331
Fax: 0114 275 0998
Email: pensionsenquiries@capita.co.uk
Website

NPC Pre-Budget Briefing - On 24 November 2008, the Chancellor Alistair Darling presented his pre-Budget Report to Parliament more here (PDF file)

Pension increase - The annual percentage pension increase for 2009 has been
confirmed as 5.0% (RPI) more here (PDF file)

Injury Award Pension
Are you in receipt of an injury award pension?
If so, did you know that the award can be reviewed and in some cases, the amount of pension reduced!!!

For further information, please contact Gerry Code by phone.
Gerry will send you written confirmation he recently obtained at a special conference on this matter. (Gerry's tel number is available from any Narpo Committee member) or, Email: gerard.coad AT virgin.net - Please replace AT with @ - Spamming prevention purposes!