Agenda item

Report of the Scheme Manager Attached.

CONSIDERED paper summarising current pension matters both locally and nationally which required input from the Service. In particular, the paper addressed:

2015 Age Discrimination Remedy (Sargeant)

All retirements being processed now include a ‘reformed’ and ‘legacy’ benefit option in relation to the remedy period (subject to eligibility) and the pension pack that is prepared by WYPF is accompanied by a contributions mandate to show the adjustments for contributions, tax relief and interest in relation to the two options available. The figures are run through a calculator issued by the Government Actuary Department. 

Those members who are now classified as ‘Immediate Choice’ have experienced additional delays to receiving their remedial service statements due to some additional issues raised in relation the tax treatment of interest that arises under the public service pensions remedy.  On 3 June 2024, the LGA facilitated a Teams call with Chief Fire Officers, scheme managers, and internal pension contacts to discuss the current position. A substantial update would not be expected until after the general election. HSc advised WYPF would be reviewing cases in line with the original priority timelines, WYPF would be reviewing the most recent retirements first.

Second Options Exercise (Matthews)

All those eligible for the second options exercise had been written to, including an ‘expressions of interest’ form which invites recipients to either request figures or opt out of the exercise. Over 2000 letters had been sent by the Service with over a 1000 subsequent reminder letters sent where a return had not be received. The Service had received around 650 expressions of interest forms back to date, leaving a high number of returns not received.

Additional resource has now been recruited for on a fixed term basis to support delivery of the above activities and the relevant collation of employment history and pay data for each case is currently underway.

Reporting Breaches of Law

Since the last Board meeting, no breaches had been reported.

Internal Dispute Resolution

No new complaints received since the last Board meeting.

Pension Administrator Quality of Service

The WYPF submission deadline for month end data had been brought forward in 2023 from the last day to the nineteenth day of the subsequent month. Due to an extremely high workload in the pensions administration team coupled with reduced resource, there had been occasions where the month end submission had not met the deadline. Work had been underway alongside DDaT to improve the reporting process going forward.

There had been a total of 34 FPS retirements (26 wholetime colleagues and 8 on-call colleagues. Data submissions were summarised as follows:

·         Pensionable pay data to be submitted to WYPF at least six weeks prior to retirement date; and

·         retirement pack with contributions mandate to be issued to member within five working days of receipt from WYPF.

Service Resource Update

A Pension Lead role has now been recruited for and the appointee would be due to join the Service in September.