SPF Annual Conference 2019

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Maureen Gardner, SPF Chairperson welcomed the 128 delegates to the Conference and introduced Provost Ian Borthwick to deliver the formal civic welcome which would open conference proceedings. In his address Provost Borthwick warmly welcomed delegates to Dundee and called on delegates to continue working together to ensure that older people were heard within their communities and would be better provided for in their later years. . Following the Civic Welcome, the Conference was addressed by Minister for Older People and Equalities, Christina McKelvie MSP. In her delivery to conference, Ms McKelvie spoke on the SPF’s work on helping to create the Scottish Government’s Older People’s Strategic Action Forum, which Ms McKelvie now chairs, giving older people a direct voice to government and in helping to shape policy.

Ms McKelvie then went on to discuss the recently launched “A Fairer Scotland for Older People”, the Scottish Government’s new framework for older people which the SPF contributed to. Ms McKelvie then took some questions from the floor and indicated that she was looking forward to continuing to work with the SPF on older people’s issues in the future.

Under formal conference business, delegates adopted the SPF Annual Report of work, the Financial Report, and the Auditor’s Report and elected Watson & Co Chartered Accountants as auditors for the period 2019/2020. The new Executive and Standing Orders Committee members for 2019/2020 were also elected. conference with the first meeting of the new term scheduled for 9th July 2019.

Several motions to conference were then submitted for consideration by delegates and these were in relation to changes to the SPF Constitution and included slight name changes to organisations, a reserved seat to be made available for an LGBT organisation, provision for not only Scottish churches but also faith groups, and the removal of a reserved seat. All of the motions put to conference were carried.

The next speaker was John McAllion, Dundee Pensioners’ Forum, who spoke on the issues facing older people in Dundee and the campaign on the removal of historic shower charges on rental properties in Dundee (highlighted later in this edition).

The first speaker of the afternoon session was Ian Tasker, Scottish Hazards, who spoke on the survey on workplace bullying he carried out alongside the SPF. Ian was followed by Lyn Marie O’Hara, UNISON member and campaigner on the Glasgow Women’s Strike on Equal Pay, who spoke to delegates on the decade long struggle for equal pay by the caring and support staff of Glasgow City Council.

The final speaker of the day was Mick Rice, Convenor of the Unite Union Song Club, who gave delegates a bit of history on the club before leading them in a singalong of union songs which added a sense of camaraderie and nostalgia to proceedings.

As in previous years, the conference ended with an open debate on the year ahead before finally being brought to a close by Chair Maureen Gardner.