Express & Star

Threat to Black Country campaign group for pensioners

Plans to close down one of the Black Country's oldest pensioners' campaign groups are set to be discussed at an emergency meeting next month.

Published

Organisers from the Wolverhampton Pensioners' Convention (WPC) say the group is struggling due to poor attendance at meetings and difficulties with filling vacant committee positions. They are calling for community support to help save the group.

The WPC has been active since the 1980's and is affiliated to both the West Midlands regional and national pensioners' conventions, making it part of the largest pensioners' organisation in the UK.

It has been involved in numerous campaigns over pensioners' rights, including social care, state benefits and free bus passes for the elderly.

In a last ditch attempt to save the WPC, the group's committee has made membership free and has appealed for potential members to attend its next meeting on February 24. The committee is set to decide on whether or not to close the branch at a special general meeting on March 31.

Acting secretary Barry Hodgson said: "The Wolverhampton branch is struggling due to difficulty in finding willing and able officers to fill vital committee positions and poor attendance in recent months."

"People do not need to be pensioners yet, as they will be in future," Mr Hodgson said. "Their support now will help to protect their future rights and needs."

Bob Mitchell, regional secretary of the West Midlands Pensioners' Convention, said: "People have got older and older and sadly in the Wolverhampton group membership has fallen. Hopefully we will be able to rally enough interest to enable the Wolverhampton group to continue, as it is more vital than ever that we continue to campaign for pensioners' rights."

The meeting is on February 24 at 11am in the Civic Centre, Wolverhampton.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.