North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
Acting Chair: Steve Ion
[email protected]
Secretary Phil Green
[email protected]
Minutes of the NW Regional ARMs Committee held on Wednesday 11th January 2017 at
The Disability Equality North West Office, 103 – 104 Church Street, Preston, PR1 3BS.
The meeting started at 11:30 pm. There were 8 members present: Steve Ion (Vice Chair);
Phil Green (Secretary); Ray Beeton (Treasurer); Dave Wilson; Jacquie Hadfield; John
Hadfield; Barry Fuge.
1. Opening Remarks
Steve Ion as Chairperson welcomed all to the meeting. He reported that that Tom
Penn had had to step down from the post of Regional ARMs Committee Chairperson
due to personal commitments. It was agreed to record the appreciation of Tom’s
contribution in that post and that Steve Ion should undertake that role until the
March 2017 AGM when elections would be held for all posts.
It was agreed to add items 8 (e) - MPA and 8 (f) – PCS Greater Manchester Group to
the agenda.
Apologies for non-attendance were received from Tom Penn, Tony Mulhearn;
Patricia McGrogan; Eddie Garner; Alan Johnson; Mike Dodd; Chris Chorlton; Es
Chorlton; Sue Lloyd and Paula Wood (PCS NW Regional Secretary – Guest speaker).
2. Minutes of Previous meeting
a. Minutes of the 22nd September 2016
The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 22nd September 2016 had
previously been circulated and were accepted as a true record thereof.
3. Matters Arising
The Committee considered the action point list provided by the Secretary and noted
the progress of each action accordingly (see Annex A)
4. Guest Speaker
As already reported, Paula Wood had been invited but was unable to attend due to
personal circumstances.
It was agreed to re-issue the invitation to the AGM in March 2017. (Action Point 1).
North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
4. Secretary’s Report
The Secretary reported on the following items:
(a) National ARMs Committee Elections
The result of the elections had now been published to all ARMs members. The
North West had 3 members on the Committee.
(b) Campaign against the A&E closure at Chorley & South Ribble hospital
As agreed at the previous meeting, PCS NW Regional Office had been asked to
support the campaign and all PCS Branches in the North West were requested to
provide support by attending the demonstration to be held on the 26 th
November. A number of Regional ARMs Committee members had been in
attendance on that day, with Paula Wood herself, but the support from Branches
had been minimal at best. It was agreed to invite a speaker from the Campaign
to the AGM in March 2017. (Action Point 2).
(c) Draft Model Regional ARMs Constitution
The ARMs National Committee had now issued a draft Model Regional ARMs
Constitution for consideration/adoption by Regional ARMs Committees. It was
agreed that the Secretary should produce the appropriate motion(s) to the AGM
for members to consider. (Action Point 3).
(d) EHRC Protest
The Secretary had circulated details of the protest received from PCS NW
Regional Office. Arrangements had been put in place for a number of ARMs
members to attend the event on the 16th November, but it had been cancelled at
the last minute.
(e) ARMs Communication Questionnaire
The Secretary reported that the questionnaire had been circulated to Regional
ARMs Committee members for their comments and although none had been
forthcoming, except from Jacquie Hadfield in her capacity as Secretary to the
Greater Manchester Group, the Secretary had responded on behalf of the
Region. The contents of the response submitted had been circulated to
Committee members for their information. Noted.
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
(f) ACAS Dispute
The Secretary had circulated details of the dispute received from PCS NW
Regional Office. A number of members had attended both events in Bootle and
Manchester with the Regional ARMs banner. Noted.
5. Treasurer’s Report
Ray Beeton reported that as at the 11th January 2017, the balance in the account
was £405.84. However, a cheque for £20 in respect of the affiliation fee for
NWRPA had yet to be presented for payment.
(a) Affiliations
Affiliation requests to the three Trades Councils had been actioned by the
Secretary. The Secretary wrote to NW TUC Secretary (9th September 2016). The
response provided referred the Secretary to Steve Farley (Chair NW TUC). His
response indicated that the arrangement to waive fees was for 12 months only
and had lapsed.
As a result, the Secretary wrote to all 3 Trades Councils re affiliation, suggesting
that the Region would have to take the view that affiliation fees would have to
be paid in 2017 with the following results:
Knowsley: - Indicated no fee was payable and invited a delegate to next meeting
on 27th October. It was noted that Ray Beeton would be attending future
meetings. Agreed close minute.
Liverpool: No response at all from their Secretary. P Green had spoken to John
Farmer (the Liverpool TC Treasurer) who indicated he would get the Secretary to
the send form, but nothing had been received to date. It was agreed to chase up
a response. (Action Point 4).
Wirral: Indicated that affiliation form would be sent and invited delegate along to
next meeting (10th November). No form had yet been provided. It was agreed to
chase up a response. (Action Point 5).
The Committee had previously considered appointing a delegate to Wirral Trades
Council and agreed to appoint Lynn Killoran (subject to her agreement). Noted.
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
It was agreed that the Committee should seek to pay all Trades Council
affiliations fees where requested.
(b) Campaign Fund Bid
The Treasurer had submitted a bid for funding, including for Campaigns on the
17th July 2016. He reported that he had received the sum of £300 to cover all
expenses for 2016. Noted.
(c) Bank Charges
Ray Beeton reported that he had recently received a communication from the
Bank announcing the introduction of charges for operating the account. He had
queried this with PCS HQ and was still awaiting a definitive response. Noted.
(d) Funding Of Groups
This had been raised by the Treasurer as it appeared that Groups should be self –
funding. However, in view of the fact that any Group operating a separate Bank
account would incur charges, it was agreed to recommend to Groups that they
should give favourable consideration to closing those accounts and having any
monies held in the Regional account, ring-fenced for their use. (Action Point 6).
6. Membership
(a) Current
As at October 2016 membership stood at 1133 [September 2015 – 970; March
2015 - 927] (Cheshire 140 [119; 110]; Gt. Manchester 404 [343; 306]; Lancashire
301 [259; 286] and Merseyside 288 [249; 225]). This was approximate to the
figure provided by the National ARMs Organiser for the National Committee
meeting held in November 2016, and which gave a NW membership figure of
1104, with 550 having e-mail addresses.
The Greater Manchester Group had its 2nd meeting on the 22nd September and
a further meeting was due to be held tomorrow.
The Secretary reported that in accordance with the motion carried at the AGM
“That PCS ARMS North West Committee Meetings are moved around the North
West Area to encourage more Members to attend”, the current meeting was
being held in Preston.
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
It had been hoped that members from the Lancashire area would have been in
attendance today to assist with the formation of a Lancashire Group, but that
had not proved to be the case. It was agreed that Barry Fuge identify any DLMs in
the area for them to be approached to assist in setting up the Group. (Action
Point 7).
(b) E-mail messages not being delivered.
The Secretary reported that PCS Regional Office had provided details of bounceback messages from members when distributing notices etc. of meetings by email. There was therefore a need to update our records and also conduct a ring
around of members affected. It had been agreed to hold a meeting to carry out
that exercise before the end of the year, but this had not proved possible. It was
agreed that the Secretary and Treasurer should hold a meeting to discuss the
way forward. (Action point 8).
7. Reports
(a) ARMs National Committee.
As a member of the newly-elected ARMs National Committee, Jacquie Hadfield
provided a comprehensive verbal report of the meeting held on the 16 th
November. A number of dedicated teams had been appointed to cover items
such as Communications and Organisation. The National ARMs Forum would be
held on the 21st June. Noted.
(b) PCS ARMs Merseyside Group
Steve Ion this item also provided a brief verbal report of the last meeting held on
the 21st December. The next meeting would be held in March and would be the
AGM. Noted.
(a) NW Regional Committee
The last meeting of the PCS NW Regional Committee was on the 13th December.
A report from the Regional ARMs Committee was requested and submitted
(copied to Committee members). Neither the Vice-Chair nor Secretary was able
to attend. Dave Wilson did attend on behalf of the Regional ARMs Committee,
which had been poorly attended by Branches. Nominations for the NW TUC had
been made, together with a proposal to revitalise the structure of Town & City
Committees. There would be a Conference on Social Security at the PCS NW
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
regional Office on the 4th February. It had previously been agreed to seek a
meeting with PCS NW Regional Officials to discuss how the issues raised in the
motion carried at the NW ARMs Regional Committee 2016 AGM could be taken
forward in the future. No response had been forthcoming to a request made on
the 24th October for such a meeting. It was agreed to chase up a reply. (Action
point 9).
(c) NW Regional Pensioners Association.
Steve Ion reported that he had been unable to attend the NPC Annual
Conference held on the 7th October. It was agreed not to submit any motions or
nominations to the forthcoming AGM on the 27th January. It was also agreed
that Barry Fuge be appointed as the PCS second delegate to the NWRPA. (Action
Point 10). Finally, it was also agreed to pay the affiliation fee of £20 for 2017.
(Action Point 11).
(d) Merseyside Pensioners Association
The Conference “Generations United against Austerity” was held on 12 th
November 2016 in Liverpool. The aim was to establish a standing committee
made up of representatives from all sectors fighting austerity. 5 members from
ARMs NW had attended the Conference and that the National Committee had
carried a motion in support of the aims of the Conference and seeking the
support of the PCS NEC to expand the campaign as widely as possible. Noted.
(e) PCS ARMs Greater Manchester Group
As Secretary of the Group, Jacquie Hadfield provided the meeting with a verbal
report. Committee meetings had been held on the 8th December and 5th January.
Sue Lloyd had attended a Green Conference in Birmingham, and Eddie Garner
was involved in a number of different projects in the area. The Group had
affiliated to the Manchester (fee required) Salford (no fee) and Crewe (no fee)
Trades Councils. Sue Lloyd also attended the West Cheshire Trades Council. The
next general meeting was scheduled for the 12th January 2017. Noted.
9. Communications
(a) PCS NW ARMs Web Page
The Secretary indicated that this was currently up to date with relevant material.
Noted.
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
(b) Newsletter
The latest newsletter had been issued in December 2016, and which had
received excellent feedback. The last meeting discussed an e-mail from the PCS
Regional Secretary pointing out that the last newsletter was not in the PCS inhouse style and indicating that the NW Regional ARMs Committee would need to
consider this issue for any subsequent editions. As instructed, the Secretary
wrote in accordance with the views of that meeting, rejecting the call for
compliance with the corporate template, on the 24th October to PCS NW
Regional Office. It appeared that PCS NW Regional Office were willing to publish
the newsletter in its current format. Noted.
(c) NW Blog
It was noted that the NW Regional ARMs blog contains a vast amount of
information, is advertised both in the newsletter and any circulars issued and
was last updated on the 9th January 2017. Noted.
(d) E-mail distribution
It was reported that PCS had recently changed their e-mail programme to use
Microsoft Outlook and that there was a problem in issuing e-mails where the
number of recipients exceeded 500. Noted.
10. Correspondence Received
The Secretary had produced a list of all 257 items of correspondence received since
the last meeting, and which had been circulated to Committee members. There were
no questions raised about the contents of the list. Noted.
11. Any Other Urgent Business
(a) Defend the NHS.
It was reported that there would be a “Defend the NHS” march and rally held in
London on the 4th March 2017. PCS nationally was supporting the event and
transport (hopefully by train) would be provided for PCS members wishing to attend
on the day. Noted.
(b) NWTV
A request had been received from NWTV to interview one or more individuals about
sanctions imposed on claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payments
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
(PIP). It was felt that PCS members still in employment should not participate as
they could transgress Government confidentiality regulations. Noted.
12. Future Meetings
It was reported that the next Committee meeting would be the AGM to be held in
Liverpool on Wednesday 1st March 2017. (Action Point 12).
It was agreed to make a donation of £20 towards the use of the excellent facilities in
Preston (Action Point 13).
The meeting closed at 3:08 pm.
A list of action points from the meeting is attached at Annex (B).
Signed ……………………………………………………………….
Regional Chairperson
Dated ………………………………………………………..
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
Annex A to the NW Regional ARMs Committee Meeting held on the 11th January 2017
Action Point List discussed under item 3 (Matters Arising).
Key:
Action
Point
2
3
4
5
6
11
7
Action Point resolved.
Narrative
Status
From 2nd March 2016 Meeting
NW Regional ARMs Committee to affiliate to
Secretary still to action, but has written to the NW
Knowsley Trades Council
TUC Secretary to raise the issue about the waiving
of affiliation fees. (22/9/16 – Noted) (23/10/16 –
affiliation form requested) (11/1/17 Noted no fee
payable and delegate attending – close minute).
Secretary to notify Knowsley Trades Council of
Secretary still to action. (22/9/16 – Noted)
delegate (Ray Beeton)
(11/1/17 – noted Ray attending – close minute).
NW Regional ARMs Committee to affiliate to Wirral
Secretary still to action, but has written to the NW
Trades Council
TUC Secretary to raise the issue about the waiving
of affiliation fees. (22/9/16 – Noted) (23/10/16 –
affiliation form requested) (11/1/17 – agreed to
chase form)
NW Regional ARMs Committee to affiliate to
Secretary still to action, but has written to the NW
Liverpool Trades Council
TUC Secretary to raise the issue about the waiving
of affiliation fees. (22/9/16 – Noted) (23/10/16 –
affiliation form requested) (11/1/17 – agreed to
chase form)
Secretary to notify Liverpool Trades Council of
Secretary still to action. (22/9/16 – Noted)
delegates (Tony Mulhearn & Keith Hebron)
(11/1/17 – see item 6 above – noted).
From 9th June 2016 Meeting
Secretary to send message of support to BIS Sheffield Secretary still to action. (22/9/16 - Neville Grundy
to action in place of Secretary as Twitter account
required). (11/1/17 – noted dispute ended – close
minute).
From 22nd September 2016 Meeting
Secretary to arrange meeting of interested
Secretary still to action. (11/1/17 – meeting to be
Committee members to carry out data cleansing
arranged to discuss way forward).
exercise of NW ARMs membership records
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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North West Regional Associate and Retired Members (ARMs) Committee
Annex B to the NW Regional ARMs Committee Meeting held on the 11th January
2017
Action Points arising out of the meeting.
Key:
Action Point resolved.
Action
Narrative
Point
Secretary to invite member of PCS Regional Committee to one
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
of NW ARMs Regional Committee meetings.
Secretary to invite speaker from the Chorley & South Ribble
Save Our A&E campaign to the AGM.
Secretary to produce list of appropriate motions re the draft
Model Regional Constitution for the AGM
Secretary to chase affiliation form for Liverpool Trades Council
Status
Done
Done
Done
Secretary still to action
Secretary to chase affiliation form for Wirral Trades Council
Secretary still to action
Recommendation to be made to Groups that they should give
favourable consideration to closing those accounts and having
any monies held in the Regional account, ring-fenced for their
use.
Barry Fuge to identify DLMs in Lancashire area for possible
approach to assist in setting up Lancashire ARMs Group
Secretary to arrange meeting with Treasurer to consider best
way forward to carry out data cleansing exercise of NW ARMs
membership records
Secretary to chase up meeting of PCS Regional Committee
Officers and NW ARMs Committee to discuss how to take issues
forward form 2016 AGM motion.
Secretary to inform NWRPA that Barry Fuge is PCS ARMs NW
second delegate.
Treasurer to pay affiliation fee of £20 to NWRPA
Overtaken by events as PCS Nationally
will be paying all bank charges centrally.
Secretary to arrange next meeting date in Liverpool as AGM.
Done
Treasurer to pay donation of £20 to Preston Disability & Equality
Centre for use of their facilities for meeting on 11th January
2017.
Done
Secretary still to action
Done
Done
Done
NW ARMs Blog:
http://arms-nw.blogspot.co.uk
NW ARMs webpage: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/pcs_in_the_north_west/arms-north-west/arms-northwest.cfm
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