Founded 1980
Chair:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Graham Smith
Jan Thompson
Graham Mumby-Croft
Issue No. 86 SPRING 2022
FROM THE TREASURER
As I write this piece for the newsletter, it is the end of February 2022, and in a conversation on the telephone with Paul Laxton, The Editor, less than a couple of hours ago, I found myself comparing the 2020’s with the 1920’s in terms of history almost repeating itself. Now, as then, the world is in political turmoil, and at a time when the world is just starting to emerge from the ravages of a global pandemic. As I write, to my left on my desk is the digital readout of my Smart Meter, the one that I set up several months ago to trigger a warning of when my daily usage of gas and electricity exceeded the average daily rate that I was paying for those utilities. At the end of last summer, when the days were still warm and the evenings still light, I could look in satisfaction at the readout and see that for both fuels I was well below the average. But as the nights drew in, and the days grew colder the figures would climb to meet, and on cold days exceed by a small margin, the daily average target. At the end of the year, when my account was reviewed everything would be in near equilibrium.
Fast forward only 4 months to the present day and whilst electricity and gas prices have rocketed away, I decided to leave the setting of my daily financial average as it was. I now find that on some days the average daily spend, based on Gas and Electricity prices in August 2021, is usually exceeded by mid- morning, and always exceeded by midafternoon., and I have just received the news from my supplier that my annual payment is to increase by £885/year. I suspect that if the situation does not get better, then by this time next year I will find myself in the situation of paying more for my utility bills, Gas, Water, Electricity and Council Tax than I ever paid in mortgage repayments. I certainly expect that when the new rates for Gas and Electricity kick in on the First of April, on cold days my average cost, set in August 2021, will be exceeded the moment I turn my kettle on for my morning cup of tea.
One thing is sure, neither your, or my pensions will increase by anything near to the true amount that the cost of living has risen and will continue to rise. The thing that annoys me the most is the hidden inflation that is all around us as things get smaller, yet the price remains the same. My wife and I live close (within easy walking distance) to both a Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer Food Hall. We are both quite partial to a Sainsbury's Belgium Bun, (2 for £1.25p). Until recently they were at least 30mm (1¼”) thick. Now they are only about 20mm (¾”) thick. That is a 33% reduction in size and yet they still cost the same. It is the same with crisps and I am sure that the new Walkers Crisps competition is a prize to whoever actually finds more than 10 crisps in a bag.
The real rub to this is, that whilst the upside should be that I am taking in fewer calories, thanks to the reduced size of almost everything that I like to eat, I am not getting any smaller; in fact, I am getting bigger. I suppose this could be down to my system of compensation, where I now eat two of everything that I used to eat one of, and have therefore increased my consumption by a third?
So, we come to the point where you are probably thinking, “what is this madman rambling on about, and what relevance does it have to my membership of the RPGA”? Well, the good news is that I am currently in the process of sending off the books to be audited and, unlike HM Government, I am proud to say that I operate the finances of the association to always remain in the black, based on the simple maxim of not spending more money than we generate in income.
As the figures are subject to confirmation by the auditor I will not publish them until the AGM in October, but I am able to say that the association is in good financial order, with a healthy balance of cash in hand, and that as a result I will have no need to add to the inflationary pressures on your overstretched pensions by seeking to raise the cost of subscriptions.
The reality is that since the pandemic, and the subsequent lockdown periods the costs of running the association have reduced considerably, to the point that items such as travel costs from the committee are almost non-existent. Historically our biggest cost has been in the production of the Newsletter, and this continues to be the case.
As you will be aware, due to tragic circumstances, I took over the editorship of the newsletter for the two 2021 editions, and I have to hold my hands up to the fact that I aimed for quality over cost. What this meant was that rather than set a limit on content, and therefore pages, in order to keep the print and distribution costs at a low level, I took the view, supported by the Committee, that I would look to include everything that was submitted, and where people provided colour photos, to reproduce those in colour as well.
Now that Paul is back at the helm of the Newsletter, he has an increased freedom to be able to aim for a quality publication that is limited only by how forthcoming members are in submitting items for inclusion. So, as always, it is over to you, the membership.
Another task that I have at this time of the year, to coincide with preparing the books for audit, is to compare my list of subscriptions with Harry’s list of members, to check that those lists coincide. This always proves to be an interesting task as Harry and I email back and forth seeking to ensure that we have not missed a new member, or sadly a member who had died, and of course to ensure that we coordinate the list of those who are paying the extra to receive a PGA diary.
This year’s initial check has revealed that Harry’s list and mine are some distance apart with Harry showing several people as members, from who I have no record of having received payment, and a couple who are paying, that Harry had no knowledge of. We are working on this, or we will when Harry gets back from gallivanting around the world, but in the meantime could I ask you all to carry out this check?
If you are reading this in a copy of The Newsletter that was sent directly to you, then unless you are family of a deceased former member, then you should be paying a subscription to the RPGA of either £13/year (No Diary) or £20/year (With Diary).
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Please check your bank statement for the standing order to the RPGA. If you are not paying the correct amount, then please contact me to sort out a new standing order.
Please check your bank statement for the standing order to the RPGA. If you are not paying the correct amount, then please contact me to sort out a new standing order.•If you believe that you are a member and there is no payment from your account to the RPGA for 2021 (1st January 21 to 31st December 21) then again, please contact me so we can sort this out.
If you believe that you are a member and there is no payment from your account to the RPGA for 2021 (1st January 21 to 31st December 21) then again, please contact me so we can sort this out.•Finally, each year I receive a payment of £20 into the bank from VALUE EXCHANGE. I assume that this is a member living overseas, but I literally have no way of knowing who this person is. Therefore, can I ask, if you live outside the UK and received this Newsletter directly to you, please contact me so that I can try to put a name to this payment.
Finally, each year I receive a payment of £20 into the bank from VALUE EXCHANGE. I assume that this is a member living overseas, but I literally have no way of knowing who this person is. Therefore, can I ask, if you live outside the UK and received this Newsletter directly to you, please contact me so that I can try to put a name to this payment.Graham Mumby-Croft
Treasurer
graham.mumbycroft@gmail.com
Graham Mumby-Croft
Treasurer
