Minutes of Spring 2019 AGM & Meeting of Medway and District Branch on 9th April 2019 at Avenue Theatre, Sittingbourne.

Apologies

Apologies received from Mr T. Lynch.

Obituaries

A list of all those colleagues who have passed away was read out to the meeting and minutes silence was observed. There were two additional obituaries received after Newsletter had been published,

Former PC2770 Brian Jones died 1/3/19 Last served West Malling

Former PC3516 Gregory Johnson died 29/3/19 Last served Folkestone

Minutes of Summer Meeting

The minutes of the Winter 2018 Meeting were agreed by the Meeting and duly signed as a true record by the Vice Chairman and secretary.

Chairman’s Report

The Chairman asked that I mention the several Passing out Parades held at FHQ that he and the Vice Chairman attended.

He also requested members be reminded of the Centenary Lunch to be held by All Kent Branches on Sunday 12th May 2019 at Cornwallis Suite, Tovil as there are still places available at a cost of £20 per person. This is chance to meet up with old friends and colleagues.

Matters Arising

There were no matters arising.

Secretary and Treasurers Report

The Secretary read out all correspondence received in particular the increase in Police Pensions would be 2.4% this being the CPI for September. The Old Age pension is 2.8% in line with RPI for September. The NARPO subs have increased by same amount and stand this year at £21.12 which is £1.76 per month

The Secretary delivered the £50 Christmas Gift to widows in December 2019 apart from those out of area which were posted. There are 27 widows in the Branch and the cost is £1350. The first precept payable to NARPO Headquarters has been halved to allow Branches to offset the costs of any Centenary Celebration that they wish to plan.

The NARPO Travel insurance has changed in that all persons wishing to have this insurance which each have a separate cost depending on age it is no longer a one yearly fee for all and this change is due to the high level of claims made. I would advise any member taking out travel insurance for a single trip abroad to check with other companies to ensure they are getting the beast deal. This insurance has consistently increased vastly year on year.

The Police Federation of England and Wales have had a malware attack on their computer system and as such data held may have been affected but this is not yet known and they are working hard to rectify this problem and it is hoped that no personal details of any retired or serving officer has been gained.

Op Banner 50 to be held on 14th August 2019 at the National memorial Arboretum and the invite is open to those who served either in the Military or as emergency services in Northern island and have been awarded the GSM (NI) or civilian equivalent in the case of the emergency service. Detail must be sent to Deputy CEO of NARPO by 3rd June 2019 (email depceo@narpo.org) and must include: Title/Rank, First Name (this must be name on photo ID), Last Name, Date of Birth (format DD/MM/YYYY, Place of Birth, First line of address, Town, Postcode and Military Number 9where applicable).

Kent Police Recreation Association (KPRA) hold annual award nights and this year they are celebrating their 40th Anniversary and have requested that any NARPO member that may have sporting or team photographs from that year contact them.

Continuing Healthcare funding is in many instances mismanaged by Clinical Commissioning Groups leaving families emotionally and financially devastated when they should be spending quality time with loved ones who, as enshrined in law, should have healthcare provided at the point of delivery. Please support and enquiry into the system by signing the petition on line at https://petitio.parliament.uk/petitions/238047

The Branch funds are very healthy with all monies owed having been paid and no matters are outstanding. In relation to precept paid to NARPO HQ they agreed in this Centenary year that Branches would only pay half of the perceptible amount which for our Branch was £601.35 instead of £1202.72, the 2nd Precept will be for the full amount. This was allow Branches to partly fund their own Centenary Celebration which is the Centenary Lunch at Tovil on 12th May 2019.

The Accounts for the Branch have been audited by Secretary and Chairman and sent to NARPO HQ. The Branch at the end of 2018 had £7635.47 and again showed a profit of £102.04 for the year which included £35.34 carried over from the Petty Cash account as of 31/12/18.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE

All Officers and Committee Members wished to stand and all were elected unopposed.

HONARARIA

The Branch agreed that the status quo in relation to honoraria would remain the same as last year for Chairman and Secretary.

Any Other Business

The Secretary informed the Meeting that our webmaster wishes to stand down due to work commitments and asked if any other member who would be interested in taking on this role. It is anticipated that one member at the Meeting informed the Meeting he would look at the site and decide if was able to take on the role

There being no other business the Meeting closed at 2045 hours. The next Meeting will be held on 26th November 2019 at 1930 hours at same venue.

Signed...............................................................Mr S. Bull Vice Chairman

Signed................................................................Mr B. Goldfarb Secretary