Latest news with #BrianDuncan
The Courier
a day ago
- The Courier
Retired Perthshire officer still awaiting money amid police pension dispute
A retired Perthshire police officer says he is still awaiting money owed to him in a long-running dispute over pensions. Brian Duncan, 55, from Bridge of Earn, served in the Perth and Kinross area for 27 years. He is one of hundreds of retired officers across Scotland who say they have yet to receive pension payments due to them. A campaign has been launched in frustration at ongoing delays and poor communication from the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA). The dispute dates back to 2015, when the police pension scheme moved from the '1987 Scheme' to the CARE (career average revalued earnings) scheme, which bases pensions on average earnings throughout a career. The 1987 Scheme allowed officers to retire with an immediate pension after 30 years of service, or at age 55 with any length of service. This applied to officers who joined before April 6 2006, and was closed to active members on March 31 2022. Brian, who retired in 2021, told The Courier he had planned his retirement before 'the carpet was ripped from under our feet'. 'The CARE scheme is much worse than the 1987 one,' he said. 'We couldn't possibly know or plan for that change. When we joined, you knew after 30 years, that was going to be our pension. 'They were essentially asking people to work an extra seven years in some cases because of their age.' In 2018, an age discrimination case was brought to the Court of Appeal and won. The ruling – known as the McCloud Judgment – forced the UK Government to implement changes across all public service pension schemes. The amount owed to each retired officer depends on when they joined the force and how many years they served. Brian added: 'The pensions were changed and now we're finally getting put back to where we should've been. 'The SPPA has now missed seven deadlines, and the lack of communication has just been atrocious. 'We've all got together on Facebook and decided to, en masse, put our feelings in writing that this can't go on. 'They're now saying that it's looking like October or December before this gets done – we were promised it would be March. 'We were meant to be first – the people in ill-health retiral, but now we're very much at the back of the queue. 'They've had four years to prepare, yet had no staffing or computer systems in place until the very last minute.' Brian says the retired officers organisation has submitted a letter of no confidence to the SPPA arguing that hundreds of retirees in Scotland have been 'utterly cut adrift'. He said the time it is taking for the SPPA to pay the officers back is adding to the interest that will be owed. A spokesperson for the SPPA said: 'The SPPA is unable to comment on individual cases. 'However, we acknowledge the frustrations of retired police scheme members who have not yet received their statements and have apologised directly to those affected for the delay. 'The SPPA has made significant progress in delivery for the police pension scheme, where 84 per cent of immediate choice remediable service statements have been issued to date, as well as 99 per cent of deferred choice statements. 'This is a similar delivery position to most other police public sector administrators in the UK. 'Despite this progress, we recently took the difficult decision, in accordance with legislation, to extend the target dates for delivery for the remaining 16 per cent. 'The majority of statements are expected by the end of October and those remaining by the end of 2025. 'We continue to dedicate our resources to resolving the remaining 16 per cent of outstanding cases not yet produced. 'These are affected by a range of complex factors and require in-depth technical knowledge to ensure each one is completed accurately. 'The SPPA continues to work diligently and on a daily basis to ensure these cases are processed as quickly as possible and that accurate RSS are provided so that retired members already receiving pension payments can receive the accurate amounts due.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill aimed at helping Illinois farmers control deer populations heads to Pritzker's desk
ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Legislation aimed at making it easier for residents to obtain a hunting permit — and to help control the deer population — has passed both the Illinois Senate and House, and is headed towards the governor's desk. Under Senate Bill 710, IDNR would implement new rules for the Deer Removal Permit. Landowners would be allowed to let other individuals 'destroy' deer responsible for damage under a permit given to the landowner. Legislature bumps right up against midnight deadline as they pass $55 billion budget And, landowner deer and turkey permits could be given for free to an Illinois resident that owns at least 40 acres of Illinois land and that wishes to hunt on their own land. Tenant deer and turkey permits could be given for free to Illinois residents that are living on at least 40 acres of commercial agricultural land, wishing to hunt on land they live on. The legislation would also allow for permits to automatically be issued, specifically for those who have effectively reduced the deer population, and other certain conditions. You can read more about those conditions here. Illinois Farm Bureau President Brian Duncan said this legislation will help farmers and address costly damage from deer. Prosecutors recommend 12.5 years in prison for ex-Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan 'Illinois farmers know all too well the costly damage nuisance deer can cause to crops and farmland,' Duncan said. 'This legislation will provide farmers with effective tools to help manage deer populations and protect farmland across the state. We thank Sen. Patrick Joyce and Rep. Marcus Evans for championing legislation that provides these practical tools, as well as the Illinois Department of Natural Resources [IDNR] for their efforts.' If Governor JB Pritzker signs Senate Bill 710 into law, it would be effective Jan. 1, 2026. You can read more about the legislation here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Daffodils: New variety named after BBC Radio programme
They inspired the poet William Wordsworth, and now a new variety of daffodil has been inspired by a popular BBC gardening flower has been named to mark the 40th birthday of Radio Ulster's Gardeners' new daffodil, named Narcissus Gardeners' Corner, is white with a pink trumpet, and was produced by world-renowned breeder Brian Duncan at his home near in his 90s, Mr Duncan has been creating new daffodils for six decades. Mr Duncan said the process of creating a new named daffodil took time."You are always aiming for perfection," he said. In 2022, Brian was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society in recognition of his breeding work. Only 63 horticulturists can hold it at any given time in commemoration of the years of Queen Victoria's Gardeners' Corner began its life from a cross between two very successful flowers - Amazing Grace and Cape Point - in 2001, and has proved itself by growing on in both Northern Ireland and Holland. "It's a beautifully-formed daffodil with pure white wide petals and a delightful pink- rimmed corona," said Mr Duncan. Gardeners' Corner presenter David Maxwell said the new addition was a "great honour"."Our programme and its gardening stories and advice is an established part of the BBC Radio Ulster schedule. And we know how much it's valued by BBC listeners," he bulbs of this new variety will be harvested in the summer and distributed in the autumn to a number of public gardens."Planting bulbs of any sort is about looking to the future. It's about hopefulness, expectation and renewal," said David. "We're reminded about all of these things each spring, making it even more appropriate that the season and its possibilities will be heralded by a new daffodil named after Gardeners' Corner." Daffodils in Ireland There is a long heritage of daffodil breeding on the island of Sunset, Irish Charm, Finn McCool, Paddy's Legacy are all varieties of Irish year, growers from around the world visited Northern Ireland to enjoy the wonderful spring Corner was first broadcast in June succeeded a weekly series called Ulster Garden which began in April flower will be officially launched on this weekend's programme. You can listen on BBC Sounds here.
Axios
12-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
Illinois farmers fear tariff and USAID fallout
Chinese retaliatory tariffs and a freeze on U.S. Agency for International Development programs are worrying the Illinois farm industry. Why it matters: Chinese tariffs on farm machinery that kicked in this week could hurt sales for American companies including Caterpillar, which recently moved its headquarters to Texas but still has 12,000 employees in Peoria. USAID's purchases of U.S. crops for foreign aid — which totaled $2 billion last year — have already stopped under President Trump's executive order, according to Reuters. Context: Illinois exported $13.7 billion in agricultural goods in 2023, according to the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB). Bureau officials say they're still assessing the potential impact of the USAID freeze on Illinois farms. What they're saying: "Our farmers simply cannot afford the uncertainty of a potential trade war," IFB president Brian Duncan said in a statement. "Farm income has declined for a second straight year, and we know from experience that farmers and rural communities are the first to suffer from retaliatory tariffs." While China's tariffs on cars and liquid gas "will likely be limited" they "could have a larger impact on Illinois farmers and producers of agriculture equipment," Mark Denzler, president of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association tells Axios. "We are committed to working in partnership with federal officials to find a solution that demands accountability while allowing for manufacturing growth in Illinois and across the United States." Reality check: China has not yet extended tariffs to agricultural products as it did in 2018, crippling U.S. soybean exports, including from Illinois, the nation's top soybean producer. The intrigue: U.S. counties that voted for Trump could be hurt most by China's retaliatory tariffs, per a new Brookings analysis.
