Harold Briley Looks Back at the BBC's Pivotal Role – Page 6
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The newspaper for BBC pensioners – with highlights from Ariel online Remembering the Falklands War Harold Briley looks back at the BBC’s pivotal role – page 6 June 2012 • Issue 4 Head of pensions dr Who moves on £850k travel bill documentaries Page 2 Page 8 Page 12 NEWS • MEMoriES • ClaSSifiEdS • Your lEttErS • obituariES • CroSPEro 02 bbC PENSioNS Head of pensions moves on Report from the BBCPA AGM to the city of dreaming spires The morning rain poured down. We feared the turnout to the 25th AGM of the BBC Pensioners’ Association Jan Killick’s sojourn as head of pensions at the BBC has been marked by dramatic change. (BBCPA) would be thin and damp. But maybe thanks to a timely Prospero display Indeed one might reasonably conclude that closed to new hires in 2010, she set up panel and an entry on our website she is afflicted by the Chinese curse, ‘May Life Plan and launched a comprehensive advertising Paul Lewis of Radio 4’s Money you live in interesting times’. Not only has communications programme to ensure Box as a second guest speaker, numbers she had to contend with a steady stream that members understood the benefits held up and the meeting was lively of statutory instruments and other forms (or otherwise) of opting to transfer into and interesting. of government tinkering, such as new limits CAB2011. Thus, while there will be many With the Association’s business out on tax relief, but she has been called upon that regret the changes introduced by the of the way, Geoff Jones (the pensioner- to completely re-jig BBC pension provision. BBC, Jan has handled all the upheaval elected trustee) reassured us about the And then just as she paused for breath, with professionalism and unflagging security of BBC pensions in payment. along comes automatic enrolment, good humour. The pension fund has gone up in value which can truly be said to be piling Ossa She leaves behind her a highly trained over the last year even though, for on Pelion. and enthusiastic team in Cardiff, which technical reasons, it is likely to be less Notable among her achievements have enjoys a reputation for excellence across fully funded than before because of been the introduction of a career average the BBC. We wish her well in her new quantitative easing, which depresses the benefits section in 2006, flexible retirement appointment managing the Oxford long-term yields on bonds. Potential EU Jan Killick. and salary sacrifice for the collection of University pension arrangements. legislation with the unappetising name pension contributions. After the Scheme Geoff Jones Solvency II, which caused a flurry of anxiety earlier in the year might not, he explained, pose a threat to UK occupational pension funds after all. Geoff reported that the BBC Pension Helping you Scheme is now closed. New staff now have to depend on the vagaries of the market rather than the more secure understand defined benefits offered by the new Career Average Benefits scheme (CAB your pensioner 2011). Painful decisions had to be made by current staff whether or not to accept the new arrangements or stay with ‘old’ payslips or ‘new’ benefits with a cap of just 1% Do you find your BBC pension advice slip on annual increases. Those who jumped, hard to understand? BBC pensioner, froze their pensions and became deferred Clive Coston, wrote in a recent BBCPA pensioners. They are now technically able questionnaire: ‘It seems to contain lots to join the Association. of detail but fails to explain in layman’s Paul Lewis gave a masterly tour terms exactly what each figure represents. d’horizon of the current financial It is only by comparison with the previous situation, highlighting the relative issue that one can begin to get a sense privilege of today’s occupational of what’s going on, and surely that can’t pensioners and the reduced pension be right. prospects for people working in the BBC ‘Of course, the people who issue it today. However, he also addressed the understand it fully and it’s obvious to them. challenges for many poorer pensioners However, the need is to inform pensioners on shrinking real incomes and the bleak about their pension, not just satisfy the picture of pension provisions in the administrative process of the BBC Pension future. Paul emphasised the huge cost of Trust Limited.’ buying a private pension which could in The BBC Pension and Benefits Centre any way match the BBC pension many has created this visual to show you what retired staff enjoy. He also explained CPI all the numbers mean. If you have any and RPI calculations, which turn out questions about your payslip, please contact to be compiled in completely different the Service Line on 029 2032 2811. arithmetical ways. His revelations, together with the minutes of the AGM, will be available for members to hear and read about on the Association’s website, now to be found at www.bbcpa.org.uk David Allen Chairman, BBC Pensioners’ Association Prospero is provided free of charge to retired BBC Editorial contributions: Write to: Prospero, employees, or to their spouses and dependants. BBC Pension and Benefits Centre, Broadcasting House, Prospero provides a source of news on former Cardiff CF5 2YQ. Email: [email protected] colleagues, developments at the BBC and pension Please make sure that any digital pictures you send are issues, plus classified adverts. scanned at 300 dpi. To advertise in Prospero, please see page 12. To view Ariel online, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/ariel. The next issue of Prospero will appear in July 2012. PROSPERO JUNE 2012 ViSitiNG SCHEME 03 CONTACTS The social network Visiting Scheme If you would like a visit or information on Chris Drouet sent us this article about his experiences in his first how to become a volunteer visitor, please ring 0845 712 5529. You will be charged at year as a BBC volunteer visitor. the local rate. Queries not all my pensioners wanted a visit but were abroad. There are experts in growing For benefit and pension payroll queries, call content to have a short chat on the phone. orchids, game-keeping and country issues, the Service Line on 029 2032 2811. Armed with lots of information, nervous cooking, and spending time babysitting but not daunted, I started out on my visits. their grandchildren at the other end of the Prospero To add or delete a name from the distribution country. Just always busy, busy, busy! list, ring the Service Line (number above). Prospero is provided free of charge to retired “Talking too much Busy, busy, busy BBC employees. On request, we will also With a list of over 20 people who I visit send it to spouses or dependants who want does now seem to and some recent additions where I’m in the to keep in touch with the BBC. Prospero is process of sending an introductory letter, the also available on audio disc for those with be an asset.” number I have is just about right for me, as sight impairment. a new visitor. It allows me to visit a couple To register, please ring the Service Line of times a year and fit this in with my busy on 029 2032 2811. With each visit I set out to stay for about an schedule that some us ‘just retired’ people bbC Club hour and a half – but usually it turns out to seem to acquire after leaving full-time work! The BBC Club in London has a retired New visitor Chris Drouet. be longer. This might have something to do I aim to visit each of my pensioners twice category membership costing £30 a year with the tea and cake! However, anyone who a year, with a big enough gap so I don’t for members and £39 a year for family hen I first retired in 2008, knows me will say they’re not surprised as become a nuisance but not too big that I lose membership. Pre-1997 life members are I answered the request for I could always be relied upon in BBC touch with what is happening in their lives. not affected. Regional clubs may have volunteer visitors by ringing meetings to talk too much! This does now The area I cover is made up of one small different arrangements. Please call BBC Club London the number in Prospero. I was seem to be an asset! My pensioners are town and a lot of small rural villages in administration office on 020 8752 6666 or thankedW for my interest but as there weren’t unique individuals made up of retired BBC Cumbria. Finding some of the addresses email [email protected] any vacancies I was asked if my name could staff, their widows and widowers. A more proved to be difficult, even with a Satnav, be kept for possible future use. interesting bunch you couldn’t wish to meet. but having been to them all once during the benevolent fund You can imagine my surprise when, quite The word ‘pensioner’ conjures up elderly early summer of 2011, my winter visits were This is funded by voluntary contributions out of the blue in February 2011, I received people who don’t get out much. Well that easily accomplished. from the BBC and its purpose is to protect the welfare of staff, pensioners and their an email asking me if I was still interested couldn’t be further from the truth. Of course As a BBC volunteer visitor, I have made families. Grants are made at the discretion and would I like to contact Christine Geen, there are a few who are housebound due to over 20 new friends who I have a natter with of the Trustees.