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Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
Your benefits<br />
in safe hands<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
Inside<br />
2 A message from your<br />
<strong>Scheme</strong> Chairman<br />
4 Fund facts and figures<br />
6 Member Nominated<br />
Trustees<br />
7 Your administration<br />
service is moving<br />
8 <strong>Pension</strong>er<br />
Representatives<br />
9 Keeping in touch<br />
12 <strong>News</strong> from the regions<br />
14 Christmas past<br />
16 Congratulations<br />
18 Benefit updates<br />
20 Hoax calls<br />
21 In Memoriam<br />
24 Contacts<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong>
A message from your <strong>Scheme</strong> Chairman<br />
For the first time we are sending this communication to all our<br />
members including our deferred members (those who have left<br />
and kept a pension in the <strong>Scheme</strong>). We hope you enjoy this issue<br />
of In Touch which historically we have only sent to our pensioners.<br />
As well as the financial updates that help you understand how your<br />
<strong>Scheme</strong> is run, we also like to bring you all news of the events and<br />
activities that have been happening in our pensioner community<br />
throughout the year. We love receiving your photographs and stories and<br />
so do keep them coming.<br />
In this issue of In Touch we are looking at the <strong>Scheme</strong>’s facts and figures<br />
for the year ending 31 March 2011. The information we provide is a<br />
highlight from the full Report and Accounts and we tell you how you can<br />
get a copy of this on page 5.<br />
You will note that we received additional<br />
funding of £37.5m in December 2010 following<br />
the successful completion of the Company’s<br />
refinancing agreement with its lenders.<br />
2<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
After the accounting year end, we received a further payment<br />
of £16.25million following the sale of the North American business<br />
and this will be reflected in next year’s accounts.<br />
The membership figures look different this year and this is because<br />
the Company has set up a new category for current employees.<br />
This category of membership is called ‘employed deferred’ and<br />
these are members who, since 1 September 2010, remain in the<br />
Company’s employment but no longer build up future pension in<br />
the <strong>Scheme</strong>. The details of the current membership now totaling<br />
14,439 are shown on page 4.<br />
The Joint Investment Sub-Committee (JISC) continues to<br />
implement the new investment strategy agreed with the Trustees<br />
last year. The JISC has met several times during 2011 and there<br />
has been much activity in repositioning the <strong>Scheme</strong>’s investments<br />
to comply with the new strategy, including the appointment of new<br />
managers. There is still some way to go and I expect the new<br />
strategy to be fully in place by next Spring/early Summer.
As I write, the world’s stock markets are all over the place<br />
and we expect this uncertainty to continue for some while.<br />
I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that<br />
pension scheme investment is very much for the long term<br />
and we should therefore stay calm during such volatile<br />
periods and not react too hastily. The Trustees and the JISC<br />
continue to closely monitor the situation with their advisers.<br />
During 2011 we have also started working more closely with the<br />
Trustees of the Taylor Woodrow Fund by holding joint trustee meetings.<br />
There are no plans to formally merge the two schemes but by working<br />
together we can reduce the time and costs involved in the<br />
management of the schemes.<br />
There has been a big exercise undertaken by the Company which<br />
started in September for those of you who retain a deferred pension in<br />
the <strong>Scheme</strong> and who may wish to transfer out your benefits on<br />
enhanced terms. This offer is another important part of the Company’s<br />
ongoing, long-term strategy to manage the level of financial risk in the<br />
<strong>Scheme</strong>. The effect on the <strong>Scheme</strong> of members accepting the offer<br />
will be a reduction in the overall value of benefits the <strong>Scheme</strong> needs to<br />
pay in the future. The Trustees worked with the Company to ensure<br />
you received clear communication on this complex topic and had<br />
access to good independent financial advice. The Trustees very closely<br />
followed the <strong>Pension</strong>s Regulators guidance on offers of enhanced<br />
transfer values. This offer which closes shortly does not apply to<br />
pensioners or overseas residents and qualifying members would have<br />
received their offer packs back in September.<br />
The excellent communication between the Trustees and the Company<br />
has continued throughout 2010/2011 and the Finance Director, Ryan<br />
Mangold, attends most Trustees’ meetings to update us on Company<br />
issues. We were delighted to welcome Pete Redfern, Group Chief<br />
Executive, to our November meeting when he explained the Company’s<br />
new business strategy to the Trustees.<br />
Also in October we held the annual <strong>Pension</strong>ers’ Committee meeting<br />
when regional representatives meet with me and some of my fellow<br />
Trustees to discuss current <strong>Scheme</strong> management issues. Contact<br />
details of your regional pensioners representative is shown on page 8.<br />
You have a very able team of Trustees and in-house <strong>Pension</strong>s Team<br />
who have continued to work tirelessly to ensure the good management<br />
of the <strong>Scheme</strong> and I would like to thank them for their continuing<br />
support during 2011.<br />
Anna Edgeworth<br />
Chairman of the Trustees<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
3
<strong>Scheme</strong> membership<br />
The categories of membership are now: Employed Deferred<br />
(the members who remain employed by the Company but who<br />
no longer build up pension for future service), Deferred members<br />
and <strong>Pension</strong>ers.<br />
At 31 March 2011 the <strong>Scheme</strong> had a total of 14,439 members.<br />
Employed Deferred members<br />
<strong>Pension</strong>ers*<br />
Deferred members**<br />
* Includes dependants who are receiving a pension following the death of a member.<br />
** members who are no longer working for the company, but are yet to receive their pension.<br />
8,111<br />
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000<br />
4<br />
424<br />
5,904<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
Fund facts and figures<br />
During 2010/2011, £42.6m was paid out of the <strong>Scheme</strong> in<br />
pension and benefits, while £83.6m came into the <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
from contributions and investment returns. Part of the duty<br />
of the Trustees is to prepare an annual report and set of<br />
accounts for the <strong>Scheme</strong>. Here are some of the highlights<br />
from that report:<br />
Money coming in<br />
Total income during the year £83.6m<br />
Members’ contributions £0.6m<br />
Company’s contributions* £64m<br />
Income from investments<br />
Money going out<br />
£19m<br />
Total outgoings during the year £42.6m<br />
<strong>Pension</strong> payments £37.4m<br />
Lump sums on retirement and death £3.4m<br />
Transfers out £0.2m<br />
Administration costs £1.6m<br />
*includes an additional contribution of £37.5 million to help reduce the deficit more quickly.<br />
Please note that the figures given here do not show the one-off payment of £16.25 million<br />
mentioned in the Chairman’s introduction as this payment was received after 31 March 2011.<br />
It will be included in next year’s report on the Fund’s finances.
Change in the value of the fund<br />
over the past five years:<br />
800<br />
700<br />
600<br />
500<br />
400<br />
300<br />
200<br />
100<br />
0<br />
£671m<br />
£673m<br />
£571m<br />
£697m<br />
£762m<br />
31/3/2007 31/3/2008 31/3/2009 31/3/20010 31/3/20011<br />
Global Tactical Asset<br />
Allocation (GTAA)<br />
4.6%<br />
UK fixed<br />
interest gilts<br />
14.1%<br />
Overseas<br />
equities<br />
12.8%<br />
How the fund is invested<br />
UK index-linked gilts<br />
20%<br />
Opportunistic credit<br />
4.9%<br />
Corporate bonds<br />
27.1%<br />
The full report and accounts for the 12 months ending on 31 March 2011 was signed off by the Trustees at their meeting at the<br />
end of September. You can download a copy of the full report and accounts from www.wimpeypensions.co.uk/library.asp<br />
If you require a hard copy of the document, please contact Aon Hewitt. Their contact details can be found on the back page.<br />
UK equities<br />
16.5%<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
5
Member Nominated Trustees<br />
The <strong>Scheme</strong> is looked after by a board of Trustees. Some of the Trustees are appointed<br />
by the Company and some are nominated for the role by their fellow <strong>Scheme</strong> members.<br />
These are the Member Nominated Trustees (MNTs). An Independent Trustee Company,<br />
Law Debenture, also works with the Trustee Board as a co-Trustee.<br />
The Trustee<br />
Board must<br />
ensure that at<br />
least a third of<br />
the Trustees<br />
are MNTs.<br />
Member Nominated Trustees<br />
can be either <strong>Pension</strong>ers or<br />
Employed Deferred members<br />
(Active members at the date the<br />
<strong>Scheme</strong> closed to future<br />
accrual who are still working for<br />
Taylor <strong>Wimpey</strong>).<br />
6<br />
Last year the four-year term of<br />
office for one of our MNTs was<br />
due to end. However, as this<br />
coincided with the proposals to<br />
close the <strong>Scheme</strong> to future<br />
accrual, the election of a new<br />
MNT was postponed until after<br />
a decision had been made<br />
about the future of the <strong>Scheme</strong>.<br />
This helped the Trustee Board<br />
maintain continuity and benefit<br />
from the skills and experience<br />
of the existing MNT during that<br />
difficult time. After the changes<br />
to the <strong>Scheme</strong> had been<br />
agreed, in October 2010, the<br />
process for electing a new MNT<br />
commenced. Eligible members<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
Lee Bishop, who already held the<br />
position, was re-elected and started<br />
his second four-year term of office on<br />
2 December 2010.<br />
were asked for their nominations<br />
for a Trustee from the Employed<br />
Deferred membership and Lee<br />
Bishop, who already held the<br />
position, was re-elected and<br />
started his second four-year term<br />
of office on 2 December 2010.<br />
Lee Bishop
Your administration service<br />
is moving<br />
Next year Aon Hewitt, who are the<br />
administrators of the <strong>Scheme</strong>, will be<br />
moving the administration service from their<br />
Sheffield office to their office in Birmingham.<br />
The move shouldn’t take too long to complete and Aon Hewitt will be<br />
writing to you once they have settled the <strong>Scheme</strong> in the Birmingham<br />
office. In the meantime, please continue to contact Aon Hewitt in<br />
Sheffield if you have any questions about your pension or benefits.<br />
Their contact details are on the back page of the newsletter.<br />
And the pensioner payroll?<br />
The pensioner payroll will still be administered by Aon Hewitt from<br />
their office in Sheffield, and pensions will continue to be paid in the<br />
same way as now. All your contact details for pension payment<br />
queries will remain the same for now but when the administration<br />
service moves to Birmingham Aon Hewitt will write to you with the<br />
new address and telephone number.<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
7
<strong>Pension</strong>er Representatives<br />
As you will see from the various updates in this issue of In Touch, our pensioner<br />
representatives are kept very busy during the year. They are all very dedicated to helping their<br />
fellow pensioners keep in touch and staying up to date with the changes within the <strong>Scheme</strong>.<br />
The annual <strong>Pension</strong>er Representatives Meeting was held on 26 October at the head office in High Wycombe.<br />
Anna Edgeworth opened proceedings, welcoming all to the meeting. Attendees received an update on the Company’s performance over the<br />
past 12 months. Norman Sherwood gave a very interesting talk on the role of a pensioner Trustee and Julian Waller, Head of <strong>Pension</strong>s, updated<br />
everyone on the revised Trustee Board structure and Member Nominated Trustee arrangements.<br />
Our current GWSPS <strong>Pension</strong>er Representatives are listed below. We are always on the look out for new enthusiastic individuals to join the<br />
ranks. If you are interested in becoming a pensioner representative please contact the <strong>Pension</strong>s Team for more information.<br />
Current GWSPS <strong>Pension</strong>er Representatives<br />
Name Telephone No Email address Region<br />
Terry Coles 01626 864737 or 07748 765407 ctf.coles@homecall.co.uk Gloucs, Oxon, Wilts, Avon & Somerset<br />
Gerry Cunningham 0161 428 4935 peggyc3700@yahoo.co.uk Manchester<br />
John Edmonds 01752 701477 johnedmonds043@btinternet.com Plymouth<br />
Keith Glanville 029 2025 4227 glanvik@firstplus.co.uk Cardiff<br />
Bernard Grubb 0113 2583408 m.grubb9@btinternet.com Leeds<br />
John McGuire 00353 91591 639 Ireland<br />
Patricia Mosney 01489 781266 or 07929 713699 lamerton_mosney@btinternet.com Southampton<br />
Deryck Perry 01206 323951 Witham<br />
George Sneddon 01436 675270 sneddies@btinternet.com Scotland<br />
Gordon Whitbread 01634 862162 whitbread431@btinternet.com Maidstone<br />
Ian White 01772 816841 ian.white4@virgin.net Liverpool, Cumbria & North Wales<br />
8<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work
Keeping in touch<br />
A message from the editor, Angela Booth<br />
Welcome to all the new pensioners and deferred members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong><br />
<strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong> who are receiving In Touch for the first time.<br />
As well as the <strong>Scheme</strong> Administrators (Aon Hewitt), who are there to<br />
answer your queries about the <strong>Scheme</strong> and pay your benefits, there is<br />
also a <strong>Pension</strong>s Team at Taylor <strong>Wimpey</strong> to support you.<br />
I am always pleased to hear from members so If you have any stories<br />
to share, or topics you would like covering in the next issue then please<br />
contact me via the <strong>Pension</strong>s Team, the details are on the back page.<br />
Here’s a reminder of who we are and what we do:<br />
Julian Waller – Head of <strong>Pension</strong>s with overall responsibility for<br />
the Taylor <strong>Wimpey</strong> Group <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong>s.<br />
Paul Garrison – <strong>Pension</strong> Operations Manager – oversees the<br />
administration of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong> and<br />
the Taylor Woodrow Group <strong>Pension</strong> and Life Assurance Fund and<br />
is Company Secretary for both Trustee Boards.<br />
Angela Booth – <strong>Pension</strong> Services Manager and Editor of In Touch<br />
– oversees the administration of the Taylor <strong>Wimpey</strong> Personal<br />
Choice Plan and communications for all <strong>Scheme</strong>s.<br />
Sharon Scrivener – Administrator – supports all members of the<br />
<strong>Pension</strong>s Team and also looks after the helpline.<br />
Angela, Julian, Sharon, Paul<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
9
10<br />
Keeping in touch via Facebook<br />
Peter (right) supervising the setting<br />
of the Pearl Assurance coat of arms<br />
Our Facebook group, set<br />
up by our Trustee Chairman,<br />
Anna, is now well established<br />
and we’d like you to join us.<br />
You don’t have to be a<br />
pensioner, all ex and current<br />
employees are welcome too.<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
Peter in the stoneyard<br />
One of the members of the group, Peter<br />
Turner, contacted us recently and is keen<br />
to get in touch with any of his excolleagues<br />
who remember their time<br />
working on the Pearl Assurance building in<br />
Peterborough during 1990 and 1991.<br />
The project, which cost around<br />
£100million, was George <strong>Wimpey</strong>’s<br />
biggest project at the time. Peter was the<br />
foreman stonemason on site during the<br />
construction of the building. He sent us<br />
The finished product!<br />
some photographs from his collection,<br />
including this one showing him supervising<br />
the setting of the Pearl Assurance coat<br />
of arms.<br />
After the Pearl Assurance building was<br />
finished, Peter went on to work on projects<br />
in Birmingham and Scotland.<br />
If you are interested in getting in touch<br />
with Peter, please send him an email to<br />
petmar14@aol.com
If you’re already a member of<br />
Facebook and would like to join<br />
our group, simply log in and type<br />
‘George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Pension</strong>ers’<br />
into the search box. Once you’ve<br />
reached the page click on ‘ask<br />
to join group’ in the top right<br />
hand corner.<br />
Don’t worry if you’re not a<br />
member of Facebook yet, it’s<br />
easy and free to join, just go to<br />
www.facebook.com<br />
Friends far and wide<br />
We have some very close pensioner networks<br />
here in the UK and abroad. Many of our pensioners<br />
live overseas and you can’t get much more far-flung<br />
than New Zealand, where Alastair and Jane Somerville<br />
live. Alastair, who started with <strong>Wimpey</strong> in 1938 and<br />
worked for the company for over 40 years, celebrated his<br />
90th birthday this summer. But it was a double celebration,<br />
as he and his wife Jane also celebrated their 70th wedding<br />
anniversary this year.<br />
Congratulations to Alastair and Jane!<br />
Alastair ended his long career with <strong>Wimpey</strong> as a manager<br />
in the Civil and Mechanical Engineering department and still<br />
retains fond memories of his time with the company.<br />
Please contact the <strong>Pension</strong>s team<br />
if you would like to get in touch with<br />
Alastair and Jane.<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
11
<strong>News</strong> from the regions<br />
Scotland<br />
<strong>Pension</strong>ers in Scotland got together for their annual lunch at the<br />
Cadder Freestone in Bishopbriggs on 29 September 2011.<br />
Some 53 pensioners attended<br />
from both east and west<br />
Scotland. The lunch was<br />
organised by George Sneddon,<br />
pensioner representative for<br />
Scotland, who welcomed<br />
everyone and passed on best<br />
wishes from the Chairman of<br />
the Trustees.<br />
If you are a pensioner living<br />
in Scotland and would like<br />
to attend the event next<br />
year please contact George<br />
Sneddon. George’s contact<br />
details are given on page 8<br />
of the newsletter.<br />
12<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
The photograph shows from left to right<br />
- Donald Ross, Jock Millar, Roger<br />
McGowan, Arthur Mackie and Ken<br />
Burton enjoying a pre lunch drink.<br />
Southampton<br />
20 pensioners from the<br />
Southampton region met<br />
up at The White Swan<br />
pub in Swaythling, near<br />
the old Southampton<br />
office on 12 October for<br />
their annual lunch.<br />
Some of the regular attendees were<br />
unfortunately unable to come this year,<br />
but there were some new pensioners<br />
attending who had only retired within<br />
the last year or so.
Leeds<br />
The Leeds Association<br />
is rounding off the year<br />
with the Christmas<br />
do, scheduled for<br />
1pm on 14 December,<br />
at the Horsforth Golf<br />
Club, Leeds.<br />
Get in touch with Bernard Grubb if<br />
you want to attend. Also, thanks to<br />
all of you who came to the annual<br />
Fish & Chip lunch in October, at<br />
Murgatroyds (in Yeadon) and<br />
made it such a success. A great<br />
time was had by all.<br />
Hong Kong reunion<br />
The annual reunion of the<br />
1 Queens Road Central Hong<br />
Kong Bank team took place<br />
on the 7 July 2011.<br />
Compared to the 25th anniversary gathering in<br />
2010 attendance was down, with 27 responding to<br />
say that they would be unable to attend.<br />
However, Bob Jones, Mike Bryant, Malcolm Brown,<br />
Barry Franchi and Richard Smyth met in O’Neills,<br />
Wardour Street for a few drinks and reminiscences<br />
about the building of the Hong Kong Bank and the<br />
friends they made. Unfortunately John McEvoy,<br />
who arranges the reunions, was unable to attend<br />
as he was recovering from an operation, but he is<br />
already planning for next years’ reunion.<br />
The 2012 reunion is planned for<br />
11 July and invitations will be sent<br />
nearer the time.<br />
Bob Jones<br />
Mike Bryant<br />
Malcolm<br />
Brown<br />
Barry Franchi<br />
Richard Smyth<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
13
14<br />
Marjorie’s photos<br />
<strong>Wimpey</strong> B’ham Office ‘do’. Pete Smith centre back.<br />
I’m in there some where!<br />
The news magazine for <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Pension</strong>ers<br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
Christmas past<br />
and present<br />
It’s nearing Christmas time<br />
again and many of us will be<br />
planning and attending parties<br />
and events to celebrate with our<br />
friends and family.<br />
Around the regions many of the pensioner<br />
association members are also getting together<br />
to enjoy good food and drink and share<br />
memories. This carries on the tradition of<br />
Christmas parties held by the Company.<br />
Marjorie Voller wrote to us last year with some<br />
of her photographs and reminiscences from her<br />
time working in Denham and then in<br />
Hammersmith. We have included some of<br />
these here. Many were taken during the<br />
<strong>Wimpey</strong> Christmas parties held during and just<br />
after the Second World War and really capture<br />
the spirit and vibrancy of these events.
Dave Holland and I<br />
dancing at a <strong>Wimpey</strong><br />
‘do’. Could have been<br />
70’s or 80’s because<br />
that looks like Nelson<br />
Oliver in background.<br />
<strong>Wimpey</strong> ‘do’, Hammersmith<br />
Town Hall, 1940’s!<br />
Frank and I left..... sometime in<br />
1940s at a <strong>Wimpey</strong> Christmas ‘do’.<br />
<strong>Wimpey</strong> Witham ‘do’.<br />
Another presentation!<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
15
16<br />
Congratulations<br />
to two of our pensioners who<br />
both celebrated their 100th<br />
birthdays in 2011:<br />
Mr AE Prince: 29/01/1911<br />
Mr GS Longster: 16/08/1911<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
George celebrated his 100th birthday with<br />
a family party at his home in Delph.
George Longster, the second of this year’s centenarians, was born<br />
in Leeds and started off as a joiner and cabinetmaker. He worked<br />
for Nicholson’s of Leeds and became a quantity surveyor before the<br />
Second World War. In 1939 he joined the Royal Corps of Signals and<br />
rose from Lance Corporal to Sergeant. He served in the North Africa<br />
Campaign fighting Rommel at Tobruk. He was wounded, and captured<br />
in 1943. George was sent to Stalag 18c, a prisoner of war camp in<br />
Austria, and spent the rest of the war there. While there, George kept<br />
a record of his experiences and has recently published this online. It is<br />
a fascinating insight into his life as a prisoner of war and is incredibly<br />
well preserved.<br />
Anyone interested in finding out more<br />
about George’s experiences as a<br />
prisoner of war<br />
should go to:<br />
www.longster.net<br />
After the war, George met his<br />
wife, Minnie, at a dance in<br />
Whitehaven, while on a visit to a<br />
fellow ex prisoner of war, and they<br />
got married in 1946 in York. He<br />
worked as a Quantity Surveyor<br />
for Shepherds of York rising to the<br />
position of Building Operations<br />
Manager for the Bradford area in<br />
the mid 1950s. In 1960 George<br />
and Minnie moved to Delph on<br />
the Yorkshire/Lancashire border<br />
when George joined <strong>Wimpey</strong>’s. George, age 17<br />
He worked as a Speculative<br />
Housing Manager in Leeds for many years, and was a great<br />
friend of Frank Beaumont, who was Regional Manager at the<br />
time. He retired in August 1976.<br />
George celebrated his 100th birthday with a family party at his<br />
home in Delph.<br />
Many thanks to Gerry Cunningham for sending in the<br />
photographs of George’s birthday celebration and to George’s<br />
son Richard Longster for the information about his father’s<br />
remarkable life.<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
17
Benefit updates<br />
Tax<br />
From April 2012 the index against which the personal tax allowance<br />
is increased will change from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the<br />
Consumer Prices Index (CPI). This means that the personal allowance<br />
will generally be increasing at a slower rate than it has done previously.<br />
The personal allowance is the amount of income you can receive in the<br />
tax year before tax is deducted.<br />
To stop older people from losing out financially as a result of the<br />
change, for the duration of this parliament the annual increases in the<br />
age-related allowances (that is for over 65s and over 75s) will remain<br />
linked to RPI.<br />
A quick reminder - Winter Fuel Payment<br />
We told you in the Summer In Touch that the Government’s austerity<br />
measures meant that the Winter Fuel Payment was reducing this<br />
year. The basic rate for Winter 2011/12 will be £200 per qualifying<br />
household, rising to £300 if someone in the household is over age 80.<br />
If you are receiving State <strong>Pension</strong> and are normally resident in Great<br />
Britain or Northern Ireland you will usually receive the Winter Fuel<br />
Payment, either into your bank account or by cheque, in November<br />
or December.<br />
If you have any questions about the Winter Fuel Payment you can<br />
get information by calling the Winter Fuel Payments Helpline on:<br />
0845 915 1515 (text phone: 0845 601 5613) Monday to Friday.<br />
18<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
Digital Switchover<br />
Help <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
The traditional analogue television signal is being switched off. The<br />
timing of the switch to digital signal depends on which television<br />
region you live in. Some regions have already switched over.<br />
Televisions will need to be digital by the switchover date to be able<br />
to continue receiving television programs. A letter will be sent to you<br />
when the swtichover is due to take place in your area.<br />
The Switchover Help <strong>Scheme</strong> has been set up by the Government<br />
to help older or disabled people by converting one of their televisions<br />
to digital in the run-up to the switchover. You can receive help to<br />
convert your TV to digital if you:<br />
• are aged 75 or over;<br />
• get or could get Disabilty Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance,<br />
Constant Attendance Allowance, or Mobility Supplement;<br />
• have lived in a care home for six months or more;<br />
• are registered blind or partially sighted.<br />
If you would like help with the<br />
switchover, or to check when it<br />
will happen in your area,<br />
call free from a landline on<br />
0800 40 85 900 or<br />
textphone 0800 40 85 936<br />
between 8am and 8pm<br />
Monday to Friday and<br />
8am and 6pm Saturday and<br />
Sunday. You can also log on to<br />
www.helpscheme.co.uk
<strong>Pension</strong> increase for 2012<br />
The annual increase in the Retail Prices Index (RPI) is used to<br />
calculate the increase to your pension. It is capped at a maximum<br />
increase of 5% per year for your pre April 2006 pension and 2.5%<br />
for your post April 2006 pension. The increase in the September<br />
RPI, was 5.6%, so your pension increase on 1 January 2012 will<br />
be 5% for pension earned before 1 April 2006 and 2.5% for<br />
pension earned from 1 April 2006.<br />
Staying in touch<br />
with your benefits<br />
As well as sending you a copy of In Touch twice a year, the<br />
Trustees sometimes need to send you important information<br />
about your benefits. For example, if you are not receiving your<br />
pension yet the administrators will need to write to you when<br />
it is due to start.<br />
To make sure that you receive all the information you need<br />
about the <strong>Scheme</strong> you need to contact the administrators,<br />
Aon Hewitt, if you change your address. Please write to them<br />
at the address on the back page.<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
19
Recently it has come to our<br />
attention that fraudsters are<br />
telephoning employees or<br />
former employees (including<br />
pensioners), who have Taylor<br />
<strong>Wimpey</strong> shares, and offering to<br />
buy the shares at very attractive<br />
prices – from £15 to £20 a<br />
share. They have obtained the<br />
names and addresses from the<br />
information the Company is<br />
legally obliged to give to<br />
Companies House.<br />
The calls are often followed by a<br />
request for money up front as a<br />
‘bond’ or other form of security,<br />
which they claim will be paid<br />
back if the sale does not go<br />
ahead. Inevitably, the offer is<br />
fraudulent, and any money you<br />
pay will NOT be returned to you.<br />
20<br />
Hoax calls - make sure you don’t get tricked<br />
As we’ve noted in previous newsletters, there are increasing numbers of<br />
fraudsters who are becoming ever more skilled at getting people’s personal<br />
information – not only through the internet but also via the telephone.<br />
Please be extra suspicious if you<br />
receive calls like these, as the<br />
fraudsters are likely to use<br />
high-pressure sales tactics and<br />
have even tricked experienced<br />
investors out of money.<br />
So far we have identified that<br />
these callers state that they are<br />
an ‘investment company based<br />
overseas’ and have called<br />
themselves names such as<br />
‘Grenfell and Blackrun’ and<br />
‘Warr and Fisher’.<br />
So how can you ensure you<br />
don’t get caught? There are a<br />
few simple things to remember:<br />
Any firm calling you ‘out of the<br />
blue’ offering to buy your shares<br />
is unlikely to be a proper firm,<br />
authorised by the Financial<br />
Services Authority.<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
You can check the validity<br />
of a firm by looking at the<br />
register of authorised firms<br />
on The Financial Services<br />
Authority (FSA) website.<br />
Reputable firms, and banks and<br />
building societies will NEVER ask<br />
for your full personal details or<br />
security details over the phone or<br />
online. For example, they will not<br />
ask you for your shareholder’s<br />
number in full ‘for security<br />
purposes’ – rather they will ask<br />
you to confirm part of it.<br />
Just because they sound<br />
convincing, and have a lot of<br />
information about you, doesn’t<br />
mean they are legitimate.<br />
Any deal that sounds too good<br />
to be true is likely not to be true<br />
and should be approached with<br />
extreme caution.<br />
If you receive such a call and<br />
wish to report it, or if you have<br />
any concerns about scam calls,<br />
you can contact the FSA on<br />
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/<br />
Pages/Doing/Regulated/<br />
Law/Alerts/form.shtml<br />
or by calling 0845 606 1234.<br />
Please be wary of any such<br />
calls and make sure that you<br />
only deal with the Company<br />
itself (Taylor <strong>Wimpey</strong>) or<br />
financial services firms that<br />
are authorised by the UK<br />
Financial Services Authority<br />
(FSA).
In Memoriam<br />
We would like to take this opportunity to pass on our sincere condolences to the families of the following pensioners and spouses who<br />
were in receipt of a spouse’s pension from the <strong>Scheme</strong>, who have passed away since the last issue of In Touch.<br />
Name Status Date of Death<br />
James Aldridge <strong>Pension</strong>er 13/08/2011<br />
Frederick Herbert Allsop <strong>Pension</strong>er 03/08/2011<br />
Leslie Richard Andrews <strong>Pension</strong>er 24/08/2011<br />
Harold Barker <strong>Pension</strong>er 06/09/2011<br />
Margaret Mary Ivy Bax Widow 15/09/2011<br />
Creighton William Bidder <strong>Pension</strong>er 14/09/2011<br />
Helene B Blackmore Widow 28/06/2011<br />
David Leonard Bloxham <strong>Pension</strong>er 13/07/2011<br />
Alan Reginald James Brooks <strong>Pension</strong>er 15/07/2011<br />
Frank Hill Burgoyne <strong>Pension</strong>er 03/06/2011<br />
Georgina Burns Widow 28/05/2011<br />
Lesley Burridge <strong>Pension</strong>er 10/06/2011<br />
Brian Thomas Trevor Buttery <strong>Pension</strong>er 15/08/2011<br />
Owen Gabrield Byne Deferred 22/07/2011<br />
Cyril William Chalk <strong>Pension</strong>er 11/10/2011<br />
Ernest Cheetham <strong>Pension</strong>er 02/07/2011<br />
Jennie Cogdell <strong>Pension</strong>er 31/08/2011<br />
Joan Lilian Crowcroft Widow 24/07/2011<br />
Name Status Date of Death<br />
George Gamble Dallas <strong>Pension</strong>er 09/08/2011<br />
Barbara Patricia Davey Widow 22/08/2011<br />
Judith Dawson Widow 28/06/2011<br />
Colin George Day <strong>Pension</strong>er 02/09/2011<br />
Iris Julie Dickinson Widow 01/10/2011<br />
Peter Diggin Deferred 29/08/2011<br />
Mary Teresa Dolan Widow 21/06/2011<br />
John Patrick Dolan <strong>Pension</strong>er 14/07/2011<br />
Herbert Jack Duncan <strong>Pension</strong>er 17/09/2011<br />
Andrew Dyer <strong>Pension</strong>er 09/08/2011<br />
Elsie Joan Ellard Widow 08/10/2011<br />
Jack Fake Widower 04/11/2011<br />
Doreen Fortune Widow 30/05/2011<br />
Derek Geoffrey Fox <strong>Pension</strong>er 09/10/2011<br />
Maurice French <strong>Pension</strong>er 22/10/2011<br />
Anthony Gache <strong>Pension</strong>er 28/06/2011<br />
Diana Jaqueline Galvin <strong>Pension</strong>er 08/08/2011<br />
William Charles Gardner <strong>Pension</strong>er 27/07/2011<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
21
Name Status Date of Death<br />
Edward Roland Gibbs <strong>Pension</strong>er 05/06/2011<br />
Iris Grant Dependant 01/07/2011<br />
John Frederick Grant <strong>Pension</strong>er 09/08/2011<br />
Averil Brenda Griffiths Widow 10/05/2011<br />
Julie Frances Guile Dependant 15/06/2011<br />
Kathleen Betty Hall <strong>Pension</strong>er 09/08/2011<br />
Ronald Harper <strong>Pension</strong>er 26/05/2011<br />
Charles Henry Hearn <strong>Pension</strong>er 24/06/2011<br />
Alan Cecil Hogg Deferred 26/01/2011<br />
Dennis Leslie Hunter <strong>Pension</strong>er 08/08/2011<br />
Gwendoline Ruth Jacklin Widow 14/07/2011<br />
Evelyn James Widow 04/08/2011<br />
Jean Johnson Widow 28/05/2011<br />
Derek Geoffrey Kennington <strong>Pension</strong>er 03/07/2011<br />
Kenneth Kenyon <strong>Pension</strong>er 01/06/2011<br />
Andrew Dick Kerr <strong>Pension</strong>er 20/06/2011<br />
Mary Cater Lambert Widow 30/07/2011<br />
Archie Ulva Lamont <strong>Pension</strong>er 24/08/2011<br />
22<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
Name Status Date of Death<br />
Cornelious Anthony Lane <strong>Pension</strong>er 28/08/2011<br />
Peter Elder Leck Deferred 11/05/2011<br />
Natalie J Lewis Deferred 12/07/2011<br />
Roger Wayne Lucas Deferred 04/07/2011<br />
Peter Anderson Lumsdon <strong>Pension</strong>er 05/05/2011<br />
Michael Joseph Anthony Lynch Deferred 25/01/2011<br />
Charles William Mansfield <strong>Pension</strong>er 29/09/2011<br />
Thomas Henry Matthews <strong>Pension</strong>er 02/07/2011<br />
Henryk Matuszek <strong>Pension</strong>er 07/07/2011<br />
Margaret Doreen Middleton Widow 30/05/2011<br />
Phillip Gwyn Mitchley <strong>Pension</strong>er 28/07/2011<br />
William Moloney <strong>Pension</strong>er 13/06/2011<br />
John Henry Morgan <strong>Pension</strong>er 30/10/2011<br />
Beverly Ann Dawn Moutoe Deferred 12/05/2011<br />
William Munro <strong>Pension</strong>er 11/10/2011<br />
Bridie Myles Widow 27/06/2011<br />
Ronald Norris <strong>Pension</strong>er 07/07/2011<br />
Bridget O’Malley Widow 25/10/2011
Name Status Date of Death<br />
Mary Teresa O'Sullivan Deferred 30/03/2011<br />
Albert Proctor Palmer <strong>Pension</strong>er 04/09/2011<br />
Ian Sidney Patterson <strong>Pension</strong>er 07/06/2011<br />
Michael Bryan Payne <strong>Pension</strong>er 26/09/2011<br />
Doris Price <strong>Pension</strong>er 26/09/2011<br />
Bernard George Reeves <strong>Pension</strong>er 31/08/2011<br />
Marion Richardson Widow 27/09/2011<br />
Elizabeth Christina Rideout <strong>Pension</strong>er 04/11/2011<br />
Harold Owen Roberts <strong>Pension</strong>er 02/09/2011<br />
Bernard Scott Roberts <strong>Pension</strong>er 05/10/2011<br />
Robert Robertson <strong>Pension</strong>er 07/11/2011<br />
Patricia Robinson Widow 26/05/2011<br />
John Henry Rootsey <strong>Pension</strong>er 11/11/2011<br />
Margery Rose Widow 11/09/2011<br />
Stanley Samuel <strong>Pension</strong>er 09/06/2011<br />
Patricia Jean Sanders Widow 04/10/2011<br />
Vera Gwendoline Saunders Widow 31/05/2011<br />
Jonathan James Seymour Deferred 17/08/2011<br />
Name Status Date of Death<br />
William John Simmons <strong>Pension</strong>er 20/05/2011<br />
Charles Michael Sloan <strong>Pension</strong>er 25/09/2011<br />
Mary Smyth Widow 16/08/2011<br />
Agnes Fanny Southall Widow 06/08/2011<br />
Pansy Freda May Spall Widow 16/08/2011<br />
Victor Lionel Standen <strong>Pension</strong>er 06/06/2011<br />
George William Swanson Deferred 04/10/2011<br />
Annie Magwen Taylor Widow 28/05/2011<br />
Peter Sinclair Taylor <strong>Pension</strong>er 11/06/2011<br />
Jean Mary Taylor Widow 28/08/2011<br />
Eric Graham Turner <strong>Pension</strong>er 03/07/2011<br />
Peter Malcolm Walker <strong>Pension</strong>er 06/06/2011<br />
Sarah A Watkins Deferred 14/09/2011<br />
Mary Kathleen Yvette Webb Widow 17/11/2011<br />
Marjorie White Widow 13/11/2011<br />
Stanley John Whiting <strong>Pension</strong>er 07/10/2011<br />
Cynthia Wilson <strong>Pension</strong>er 16/09/2011<br />
William Winning <strong>Pension</strong>er 30/05/2011<br />
Kathleen Wood Widow 29/10/2011<br />
intouch<br />
Issue: Winter 2011<br />
23
24<br />
Contact us<br />
If you have queries about your pension benefits,<br />
need to update your address or Expression of<br />
Wish form or would like a copy of the report and<br />
accounts please contact:<br />
The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Aon Hewitt<br />
5th Floor<br />
The Fountain Precinct<br />
Balm Green<br />
Sheffield S1 2JA<br />
Tel: 0800 262072<br />
Email: wimpey@aonconsulting.co.uk<br />
The news magazine for members of The George <strong>Wimpey</strong> <strong>Staff</strong> <strong>Pension</strong> <strong>Scheme</strong><br />
Your scheme: a helping hand for life after work<br />
For questions about the <strong>Scheme</strong> in<br />
general, to share your stories or to<br />
provide feedback about In Touch<br />
contact the <strong>Pension</strong>s Team at:<br />
Taylor <strong>Wimpey</strong> UK Ltd<br />
The <strong>Pension</strong>s Team<br />
Unit 2 Tournament Court<br />
Edgehill Drive<br />
Warwick<br />
CV34 6LG<br />
Tel: 01926 516985<br />
Email: pensions@taylorwimpey.com