News and Updates
» 2024
| 30 October - Bulletin 256 October 2024 published today We have published LGPC Bulletin 256. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 22 October - Communications Working Group minutes published Minutes of the Communications Working Group meeting held on 3 October 2024 are available on the Communications Working Group page. |
| 18 October - LGA / LGPC responds to consultation on the draft LGPS (Remediable Service) (Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 You can view our response on the Scheme consultations page. |
| 14 October - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 4 October 2024 published Minutes and the meeting documents of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 4 October 2024 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 11 October - Part 2 of McCloud administrator guide published We have published part 2 of the McCloud administrator guide. You can find this on the Administrator guides and documents page |
| 30 September - September bulletin published We have published LGPC Bulletin 255. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 19 September - McCloud public service pensions history forms published We have published a new McCloud form. The public service pensions history forms can be used to collect information about previous pensions from members that may affect their McCloud protection. You can find the template on the Administrator guides and documents page. Please read the administrator notes carefully before using the form. |
| 11 September - Annual benefit statement technical guide published We have updated the annual benefit statement (ABS) technical guide. The latest version (v2.0) reflects our understanding of the ABS requirements from 2025 onwards, taking into account McCloud and pensions dashboards. You can find the guide on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 02 September - Scottish Government launches consultation on the draft LGPS (Remediable Service) (Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 On 2 September 2024, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the draft LGPS (Remediable Service) (Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 . You can find links to the draft regulations on the Scheme consultations page. The consultation will close on 30 May 2024. |
| 30 August - August bulletin published We have published LGPC Bulletin 254. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 28 August - Pension awareness week - slide deck published We have published a template Powerpoint presentation for Scheme members that administering authorities may use during Pension Awareness Week, which starts on 9 September 2024. The presentation can be used for online or in-person events. Funds may wish to adapt the presentation to use at other times of the year. You can find the template Pension Awareness Week 2024 presentation on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 02 August - version 1.0 of Dashboards Connection guide and AVCs & Dashboards administrator guide published today We have today published version 1.0 of the Pensions Dashboards Connection guide and version 1.0 of the AVCs and Pensions Dashboards administrator guide. You can find these guides on the Administrator guides and documents page |
| 31 July - July bulletin published We have published LGPC Bulletin 253. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 30 July - FAQs on backdated pay awards updated We have published an updated version of the employer FAQs on backdated pay awards. We have added a question about the calculation of APP and backdated pay. You can find the latest version on the Employer guides and documents page. |
| 29 July - Communications Working Group minutes published Minutes of the Communications Working Group meeting held on 4 July 2024 are available on the Communications Working Group page. |
| 28 June - Bulletin 252 published We have published LGPC Bulletin 252. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 26 June - New version of McCloud transfer calculator We have today published a new version of the 2024/25 spreadsheet for calculating the McCloud element of a CETV. We have corrected an error in the previous version that stopped calculations for members with an underpin date in the current year being processed. You can find version 1.1 of the McCloud non-Club transfer calculator 2024/25 on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 25 June - Version 2.3 of the abolition of the LTA administrator guide published We have published version 2.3 of the Abolition of the LTA technical guide on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 13 June - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 7 June 2024 published Minutes and the meeting documents of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 7 June 2024 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 31 May - Bulletin 251 May 2024 published today We have published LGPC Bulletin 251. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 23 May - LGA / LGPC response to exit credit consultation published You can view our response on the Scheme consultations page. |
| 15 May - Version 2.2 of the abolition of the LTA administrator guide published We have published version 2.2 of the Abolition of the LTA technical guide on the Administrator guides and documents page located under Pensions Tax. The guide has been updated to reflect the transitional provisions for paying PCELSs. |
| 10 May - Scottish Government launches consultation on exit credits On 9 May 2024, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on exit credits. You can find links to the draft regulations on the Scheme consultations page. The consultation will close on 30 May 2024. |
| 08 May - 2024/25 version of McCloud calculator published We have published a 2024/25 version of the spreadsheet to calculate the McCloud element of a non-Club transfer value. You can find the calculator on the Administrator guides and documents page. Use the filter on the right hand side of the page and select status - 'Old' if you need to find the 2023/24 version of the calculator. |
| 30 April - Bulletin 250 April 2024 published today We have published LGPC Bulletin 250. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 26 April - Version 2.1 of the abolition of the LTA technical guide and version 1.0 of the declaration form published today We have published version 2.1 of the Abolition of the LTA technical guide and version 1.0 of the 'Previous pension benefits declaration form' available on the Administrator guides and documents page located under Pensions Tax |
| 24 April - Communications Working Group minutes published Minutes of the Communications Working Group meeting held on 11 April 2024 are available on the Communications Working Group page. |
| 02 April - Version 2.0 of the abolition of the LTA technical guide and declaration form published today We have published version 2.0 of the Abolition of the LTA technical guide and a draft version of the 'Previous pension benefits declaration form' available on the Administrator guides and documents page located under Pensions Tax |
| 28 March - Bulletin 249 March 2024 published We have published LGPC Bulletin 249. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 27 March - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 8 March 2024 published Minutes and the meeting documents of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 8 March 2024 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 22 March - Abolition of the LTA technical guide and declaration form published today We have published the Abolition of the LTA technical guide and a draft version of the 'Previous pension benefits declaration form' available on the Administrator guides and documents page located under Pensions Tax |
| 13 March - Annual update bulletin published We have published the Annual update bulletin for 2024 (Bulletin 248) which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 08 March - McCloud non-Club calculator published We have published a calculator that can be used to calculate the McCloud element of a non-Club transfer value. You can find the calculator on the Administrator guides and documents page |
| 29 February - Bulletin 247 February 2024 published We have published LGPC Bulletin 247. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 09 February - The Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 laid The Scottish Government has laid The Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2024. The regulations come into force on 28 March 2024, with most of the changes having backdated effect. The regulations amend the date CARE pensions are revalued from 1 April to 6 April. The regulations also amend regulations 60 and 61 of the LGPS (Scotland) Regulations 2018 to clarify how these are intended to work in practice. |
| 01 February - January LGPC bulletin published We have published LGPC Bulletin 246. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 25 January - HMT announces 2024 revaluation and indexation rates A HMT written ministerial statement confirms that active pension accounts will be revalued by 6.7% in April 2024. The same increase will apply to deferred pensions and pensions in payment. You can find the pensions increase multiplier tables on the Related legislation page. |
» 2023
| 22 December - Bulletin 245 December 2023 published We have published LGPC Bulletin 245. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 12 December - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 8 December 2023 published Minutes and the meeting documents of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 8 December 2023 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 29 November - Bulletin 244 November 2023 published We published LGPC Bulletin 244 on 29 November 2023. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 15 November - McCloud administrator guide published We have published part 1 of the McCloud administrator guide. You can find this on the Administrator guides and documents page |
| 06 November - LGPS Pensions Dashboards connection guide published today We have published the draft LGPS Pensions Dashboards connection guide. You can find this on the Administrator guides and documents page |
| 31 October - Bulletin 243 October 2023 published We published LGPC Bulletin 243 on 31 October 2023. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 05 October - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 29 September 2023 published Minutes and the meeting documents of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 29 September 2023 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 02 October - Revised Club memorandum published - effective from 1 October 2023 We have published a revised version of the Club memorandum effective from 1 October 2023. You can find the clean and track changes versions of the Club memorandum on the Other Government documents page |
| 28 September - Bulletin 242 September 2023 published today We published LGPC Bulletin 242 on 28 September 2023. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 12 September - LGA respond to the policy paper on abolishing the LTA You can see our response on the none-scheme consultations page |
| 31 August - LGPS (Remediable Service) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 laid The Scottish Government has laid The Local Government Pension Scheme (Remediable Service) (Scotland) Regulations 2023. The regulations come into force on 1 October 2023 and implement the McCloud remedy. |
| 31 August - Bulletin 241 August 2023 published today We published LGPC Bulletin 241 on 31 August 2023. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 31 July - Bulletin 240 published We published LGPC Bulletin 240 on 31 July 2023. You can find the latest edition and past bulletins on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 24 July - Communications Working Group minutes published We have published the minutes of the Communications Working Group meeting held on 6 July 2023. You can find the minutes from this and previous meetings on the Communications Working Group page |
| 21 July - LGPC responds to the McCloud supplementary issues and regulations consultation You can view our response on the Scheme consultations page. |
| 18 July - Abolition of lifetime allowance consultation On 18 July, HMRC launched a consultation on abolishing the pensions lifetime allowance. The consultation includes draft legislation and closes on 12 September 2023. |
| 30 June - Bulletin 239 June 2023 published today We have published Bulletin 239 – June 2023. This is available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 27 June - Scottish Government launches McCloud consultation On 26 June 2023, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the McCloud remedy in the LGPS - supplementary issues and draft scheme regulations. You can find links to the consultation on the Scheme consultations page. The consultation will close on 31 July 2023, with final regulations in force for 1 October 2023. |
| 20 June - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 9 June 2023 published Minutes and the meeting documents of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 9 June 2023 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 12 June - Written Ministerial Statement on delays to dashboards connection deadlines On 8 June 2023, Laura Trott, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Pensions, published written ministerial statement, giving an update on pensions dashboards. The statement confirms the Department for Work and Pensions (D W P) has laid the draft Pensions Dashboards (Amendment) Regulations 2023. The draft regulations remove the phased staging timeline, replacing it with a single connection deadline of 31 October 2026. The regulations will allow the D W P and the Money and Pensions Service to issue guidance setting out a staged connection timeline for individual schemes, to which administering authorities must have regard. MaPS aim to collaborate with industry on this guidance later this year. |
| 31 May - Bulletin 238 May 2023 published today We have published Bulletin 238 – May 2023. This is available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 24 May - HMRC publishes consultation on second set of McCloud tax regulations The draft Public Service Pension Schemes (Rectification of Unlawful Discrimination) (Tax) (No.2) Regulations provide further clarification about how pension tax rules will apply for members affected by McCloud remedy. The consultation closes on 19 June 2023. |
| 28 April - Bulletin 237 April 2023 published We have published Bulletin 237 – April 2023. This is available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 14 April - Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide v2.4 published Version 2.4 of the non-club transfer out technical guide has been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 31 March - Bulletin 236 March 2023 published today We have published Bulletin 236 – March 2023 containing important articles on the SCAPE discount rate and the Lifetime allowance. This is available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 27 March - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 10 March 2023 published Minutes and the meeting documents of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 10 March 2023 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 22 March - Annual update bulletin published We have published the Annual update bulletin for 2023 (Bulletin 235) which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 21 March - LGA publishes response to the revaluation date change consultation We have published our response to SPPA's consultation on changing the revaluation date in the LGPS from 1 to 6 April. You can view our response on the scheme consultations page. |
| 17 March - Bulletin 234A (annual revaluation) published Special bulletin 234A looks at the impact of the annual revaluation date change. It is available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 10 March - Judgment on including McCloud remedy in cost cap mechanism handed down On 10 March 2023, the High Court ruled that HM Treasury's decision to include the McCloud remedy in the cost cap mechanism was not unlawful. The unions are seeking permission to appeal. |
| 02 March - Written Ministerial Statement on delays to dashboards connection deadlines On 2 March 2023, DWP published a written ministerial statement confirming delays to the delivery of pensions dashboards. |
| 28 February - LGPC Bulletin 234 (February 2023) published We have published Bulletin 234 – February 2023 - which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 22 February - Written Ministerial Statement on revaluation and indexation On 20 February 2023, HM Treasury published a written ministerial statement confirming the rates of annual revaluation, earnings and pensions increase due to apply in April 2023. The statement confirms the effective date of revaluation in the LGPS will be 6 April 2023, subject to consultation. |
| 14 February - LGPC response to TPRs Dashboards compliance and enforcement policy published We have published our response to TPR's Dashboards compliance and enforcement policy. You can view the response on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 31 January - January 2023 bulletin published We have published Bulletin 233 – January 2023 - which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 30 January - version 2.3 of non-club transfers out technical guide published Version 2.3 of the non-club transfer out technical guide has been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 06 January - LGA respond to McCloud tax regulations consultation We have published our response to HMRC's consultation on The Public Services Pension Schemes (Rectification of Unlawful Discrimination) (Tax) Regulations 2023. You can view the response on the non-scheme consultations page. |
» 2022
| 30 December - December 2022 bulletin published We have published Bulletin 232 - December 2022 - which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 13 December - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 9 December 2022 published Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 9 December 2022 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 30 November - Bulletin 231 published We have published Bulletin 231 - November 2022 - which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 28 October - Bulletin 230 October 2022 published We have published Bulletin 230 October 2022, which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 17 October - Government responds to the Pensions Dashboards further consultation In its response, the Government confirmed the Secretary of State must issue a formal notice specifying the Dashboard Available Point (DAP) at least six months before it will occur. This is opposed to the 90 days which was proposed in the consultation. The proposals on the disclosure of information will proceed as planned. |
| 29 September - Bulletin 229 September 2022 published We have published Bulletin 229 September 2022 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 20 September - Communications Working Group meeting minutes published The minutes from the Communications Working Group meeting held on 6 September 2022 have been published. You can find the Group's workplan and minutes from the most recent and earlier meetings on the Communications Working Group page. |
| 07 September - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 2 September 2022 published Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 2 September 2022 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 31 August - Bulletin 228 published We have published Bulletin 228 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 31 August - LGA respond to PDP's consultation on pension dashboards standards We have published our response to PDP's consultation on standards. You can view the response on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 02 August - Digital engagement technical guide published We have today published a digital engagement guide. The guide is based on experiences of administering authorities that operate an online portal for scheme members. We produced the guide in partnership with the Communications Working Group, and we would like to extend our thanks to the group for all their hard work on this project. You can find the guide on the Administrator guides and documents page |
| 29 July - Bulletin 227 July 2022 published today We have published Bulletin 227 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 21 July - TPR transfer warning letter version 2.0 published TPR transfer warning letter has now been published and is available on the TPR page. |
| 21 July - Non Club Transfer Out Technical guide version 2.2 & QROPS addendum version 1.2 published Version 2.2 of the non-club transfer out technical guide and version 1.2 of the transfers out QROPS addendum has now been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 19 July - LGA response to the Pensions dashboards: further consultation published We have published our response to the Pensions dashboards: further consultation. You can view the response on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 19 July - Pensions dashboards standards consultation published The Pensions Dashboards Programme has launched a consultation on standards. The purpose of the standards is to ensure the security, stability and effective operation of dashboards. The consultation runs from 19 July 2022 to 30 August 2022. See the non-scheme consultations page for a link to the consultation documents. |
| 14 July - Pensions dashboards - LGPS connection deadline confirmed The Government has responded to the consultation on the draft Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022. The response confirms the connection deadline for public service pension schemes, including the LGPS, is deferred from 30 April 2024 to 30 September 2024. It also confirms the requirement to provide value data (accrued and projected pension values) will not apply until 1 April 2025. |
| 13 July - Survivor benefits for pre April 15 membership guide published Version 1.0 of the Survivor benefits for pre April 15 membership guide has now been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 11 July - Communication Working Group minutes published The minutes from the meeting held on 5 July 2022 are available to view on the Communications Working Group page . |
| 29 June - Bulletin 226 June 2022 published today We have published Bulletin 226 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 27 June - LGPC draft minutes published The draft minutes from the LGPC meeting of 6 June 2022 are available to view on the LGPC minutes page. |
| 21 June - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 17 June 2022 published Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 17 June 2022 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 31 May - Bulletin 225 published We have published Bulletin 225 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 25 May - New versions of employee guides published We have today published new versions of the brief guide, the brief guide for councillors and the retirement planning guide. The guides can be found in the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 23 May - Bulletin 224 published We have published Bulletin 224 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page. The bulletin provides our commentary on The Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022. |
| 04 May - Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022 laid The Scottish Government has laid The Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022. The regulations come into force on 1 June 2022. Several changes have backdated effect. We will shortly publish a commentary on the regulations and a technical guide on survivor benefits. |
| 29 April - Bulletin 223 April 2022 published We have published Bulletin 223 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 07 April - Revised GAD query logs published for E&W and Scotland Revised GAD query logs have been published for both England & Wales and Scotland. Theses are available on the Actuarial guidance page. |
| 01 April - Mandatory Scheme Pays deadlines are changing on 6 April 2022 The Finance Act 2022 and the Registered Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022 (‘the new regulations’) will change the timescale for members to make or amend a mandatory scheme pays election when paying an annual allowance charge, with effect from 6 April 2022. The changes will apply when the information used to calculate a member’s pension input amount is retrospectively amended. |
| 01 April - Transfers out version 1.1 QROPS addendum published Version 1.1 of the non-club transfer out QROPS addendum has now been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 31 March - Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide v2.1 published Version 2.1 of the non-club transfer out technical guide has now been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 30 March - Bulletin 222 March 2022 published today We have published Bulletin 222 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 29 March - Annual update bulletin published We have published the Annual update bulletin for 2022 (Bulletin 221) which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 17 March - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 11 March 2022 published Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 11 March 2022 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 15 March - LGA responds to the draft Registered Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022 The LGA has responded to the draft Registered Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022. You can find links to the consultation documents and the LGA response on the Non-Scheme consultations page. |
| 14 March - Aggregation guide published Version 2.0 of the aggregation technical guide has now been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 08 March - LGA responds to DWP consultation on the Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022 The LGA has responded to the DWP consultation on the draft Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022. You can find links to the consultation documents and the LGA response on the Non-Scheme consultations page. |
| 01 March - LGPC Bulletin 220 published LGPC Bulletin 220 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 25 February - SPPA publishes Circular 2022/2 SPPA has published Circular 2022/2 - Tiered contribution rates and guidance for 2022. You can find all SPPA bulletins on the SPPA Circulars and guidance page. |
| 14 February - DWP call for evidence on State Pension age DWP has launched a call for evidence as part of Baroness Neville-Rolfe's independent review of the State Pension age. You can find a link to the call for evidence on the Non-scheme consultations page |
| 08 February - Communication Working Group minutes published The minutes from the Communications Working Group (CWG) meeting that took place on 11 January 2022 are available to view on the CWG page. |
| 31 January - LGPC Bulletin 219 (January 2022) published LGPC Bulletin 219 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 31 January - DWP consult on draft Pensions Dashboards Regulations DWP have launched a consultation on the draft Pensions Dashboards Regulations. The consultation closes on 13 March 2022 and is available on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 19 January - Transfers out QROPS and AVCs addendums published We have published a QROPS and an AVCs addendum relating to the Conditions for Transfers Regulations 2021, on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 19 January - LGPC responds to the consultation on amendment regulations The LGPC has now submitted a response to the consultation on the Draft Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations. The response can be viewed on the scheme consultations page. |
| 17 January - Government responds to Stronger Nudge to pensions guidance consultation The Government has responded to the DWP consultation on a Stronger Nudge to pensions guidance. The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) (Requirements to Refer Members to Guidance etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 come into force from 1 June 2022. You can find links to the consultation documents, the Government response and the Regulations on the Non-Scheme consultations page. The Government's consultation response suggests that there have been changes to the proposals that were originally consulted on. We will provide an update on the impact on LGPS members with an in-house AVC once we have had chance to study the Regulations. We do not expect these changes to affect members taking or transferring their LGPS pension if they do not have an LGPS AVC. |
| 07 January - Judicial Review of McCloud remedy dismissed The Police Superintendent's Association (PSA) brought a judicial review against the government in relation to HM Treasury's consultation on the McCloud remedy. This consultation did not apply to the LGPS. On 15 December 2021, the judgment was handed down and the claim for judicial review dismissed. This case has no impact on the LGPS. |
» 2021
| 22 December - LGPC Bulletin 218 (December 2021) published LGPC Bulletin 218 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 22 December - Extension to consultation on the Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 SPPA has extended the deadline to respond to the consultation on the LGPS (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. The consultation now closes on 21 January 2022. The consultation documents can be viewed on the consultations page. |
| 17 December - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 7 December 2021 published Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 7 December 2021 are published and available on the Technical Group page. |
| 17 December - New Transfer Out documentation and Non-club technical guide published Version 2.0 of the non-club transfer out technical guide, version 2.0 of the transfer out initial enquiry letter, version 1.0 of the transfer out initial enquiry letter for AVCs and Pension Credits, version 1.0 of the confirmation of transfer payment letter and version 1.0 of the refusal to transfer letter has now been published and is available on the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 09 December - LGPC Scotland Bulletin 217 published LGPC Scotland Bulletin 217 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 01 December - LGPC Bulletin 216 published LGPC Bulletin 216 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 10 November - Government responds to pension scam consultation The Government has responded to the pension scam consultation which can be found on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 01 November - SPPA publish consultation on draft amendment regulations SPPA has launched a consultation on the LGPS (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, which closes on 7 January 2022. The consultation documents can be viewed on the consultations page. |
| 29 October - LGPC Bulletin 215 (October 2021) published LGPC Bulletin 215 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 08 October - HMT publishes Directions on the 2016 scheme valuations HM Treasury has published The Public Service Pensions (Valuations and Employer Cost Cap) (Amendment) Directions 2021. These amending Directions set out how schemes must carry out the cost control element of the 2016 valuations. You can find links to the Directions and Gov.uk webpage in the Directions and guidance section of the Related legislation page. |
| 06 October - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 1 October 2021 published The minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 1 October 2021 have been published. They can be found on the Technical group page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 05 October - HM Treasury responds to cost control mechanism consultation HM Treasury has responded to the cost control mechanism consultation. The response confirms that HMT will proceed with proposals to move to a reformed scheme only design, widen the 'corridor' to 3% of pensionable pay and introduce an economic check. |
| 30 September - Bulletin 214 September 2021 published LGPC Bulletin 214 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 23 September - Retirement Planning Guide published We have today published version 1.0 of the Retirement Planning Guide. The Guide can be found in the Administrator guides and documents pages of www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 20 September - GDPR template documents updated We have published new versions of the template privacy notices (short and full), data retention policies (for employers and funds) and the memorandum of understanding document. The documents all be found on the Administrator guidance and documents page |
| 16 September - Ill health certificates We have today published version 1.0 of the Ill health certificates. The certificates can be found in the Administrator guides and documents pages of www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 09 September - Communication Working Group minutes published The minutes from the Communications Working Group (CWG) meeting that took place on 7 September 2021 are available to view on the CWG page. |
| 02 September - LGA respond to DWP's Stronger Nudge to pensions guidance consultation We have published our response to the consultation on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 24 August - TPR interim response to code of practice consultation The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published an interim response to the recent consultation on its new code of practice. You can find links to the consultation documents and the interim response on the Non-scheme consultations page. |
| 20 August - Responses to consultations on cost control The Scheme Advisory Board (England and Wales) has responded to HMT's consultation on the cost control mechanism and the LGA has responded to HMT's consultation on the discount rate methodology. You can find links to the consultation documents and these responses on the Non-scheme consultations page. |
| 02 August - Protected pension age technical guide We have today published version 1.0 of the Protected pension age technical guide. The guide can be found in the Administrator or Employer guides and documents pages of www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 30 July - Non Club Transfer Out Technical guide version 1.3 published We have today published version 1.3 of the Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide along with a track changes version. Both of these documents can be found in the Administrator guides and documents pages of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 29 July - Bulletin 212 July 2021 published LGPC Bulletin 212 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 05 July - LGPC responds to the PDP Staging Call for Input The LGPC response to the Pensions Dashboards Staging Call for Input has been published. It can be found on the Non-Scheme consultations page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 01 July - TPR publishes annual governance and administration survey results TPR has published the results of the Public service governance and administration survey 2020-21. The results show improvements in risk management processes, cyber controls and the proportion of members receiving their annual benefit statement on time. Unsurprisingly, implementing the McCloud remedy is a significant risk identified by most schemes. Governance has stood up well given the unique challenges the last year has presented. |
| 30 June - Bulletin 211 published LGPC Bulletin 211 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 24 June - Consultations published: cost control and discount rate methodology HM Treasury has published consultations on the cost control mechanism and the discount rate methodology alongside a written ministerial statement. Both consultations are available to view on the non-scheme consultations page |
| 22 June - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 18 June 2021 published The minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 18 June 2021 have been published. They can be found on the Technical group page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 15 June - CWG minutes and annual work plan published The minutes from the Communications Working Group (CWG) meeting that took place on 8 June are available to view, along with the 2021/22 workplan on the CWG page. |
| 15 June - Cost control review report published Today, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced the publication of the Government Actuary’s final report on his review of the cost control mechanism. The written ministerial statement confirms the Government will respond to the report in due course. The report includes five recommendations on potential changes to the mechanism – which applies across all public service pension schemes. |
| 04 June - Pension Scams: Empowering Trustees and Protecting Members - LGA response The LGAs response to the DWP consultation on Pension Scams has been published. It can be found on the Non-scheme consultations page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 28 May - Bulletin 210 published LGPC Bulletin 210 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 30 April - LGPC Bulletin 209 (April 2021) published LGPC Bulletin 209 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 28 April - Version 2.0 of councillor brief guide We have today published version 2.0 of the councillor brief guide along with a track changes version. Both of these documents can be found in the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 28 April - Version 2.1 of employee brief guide We have today published version 2.1 of the employee brief guide along with a track changes version. Both of these documents can be found in the Administrator guides and documents page. |
| 27 April - Non Club Transfer Out Technical guide version 1.2 published We have today published version 1.2 of the Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide along with a track changes version. Both of these documents can be found in the Administrator guides and documents pages of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 06 April - Communication Working Group minutes published The minutes from the communications working group meeting of 9 March 2021 are available to view on the Communication Working Group page |
| 06 April - HMT publish Direction under s59A of SSPA 1975 HM Treasury have published their Direction under section 59A of the Social Security Pensions Act 1975. This is available on the Related legislation page. |
| 31 March - LGPC Bulletin 208 (March 2021) published LGPC Bulletin 208 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 23 March - GMP indexation consultation - Government response published The Government has published their response to the Consultation on GMP indexation for public service pension schemes. This can can be found in the Non scheme consultation pages of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 23 March - Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide version 1.1 published We have today published version 1.1 of the Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide along with a track changes version. Both of these documents can be found in the Administrator guides and documents pages of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 19 March - Annual update bulletin 207 published We have published the Annual update bulletin (207) which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 12 March - Pensions Dashboards Identity approach Call for Input - LGA response The LGAs response to the Pensions Dashboard Identity approach for a Call for Input has been published. It can be found on the Non-Scheme consultations page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 12 March - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 5 March 2021 published The minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 5 March 2021have been published. They can be found on the Technical group page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 08 March - LGPC minutes published The draft minutes from the LGPC meeting of 8 February 2021 are available to view on the LGPC minutes page. |
| 26 February - LGPC Bulletin 206 published We have published LGPC Bulletin 206 which is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 15 February - Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide and Initial Enquiry form published We have today published a Non-Club Transfer Out Technical guide along with an initial enquiry form. Both of these documents can be found in the Administrator guides and documents pages of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 12 February - Government issues Directions disapplying the exit cap in England with immediate effect On 12 February, the government issued the Exit Payment Cap Directions 2021 which disapply parts of the exit cap regulations with immediate effect. The Directions do not apply to exit payments made by a devolved Welsh authority; however, we understand the Welsh government will issue a similar direction shortly. As the Directions disapply regulation 3, the exit cap no longer applies in England with effect from 12 February 2021. HM Treasury has issued guidance on the Directions. More information will follow. |
| 11 February - Pension Schemes Act 2021 receives Royal Assent The Pension Schemes Bill 2019/2021 was granted Royal Assent on 11 February 2021 and is now the Pension Schemes Act 2021. You can read the Act on the Legislation.gov.uk website. We will issue more information about the impact of the Act on the LGPS in the coming weeks. |
| 11 February - HM Treasury launches consultation on increasing the minimum pension age HM Treasury has launched a consultation on increasing the minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in 2028. You can find links to the relevant Gov.uk webpage and consultation documents on the Non-scheme consultations page. |
| 04 February - HM Treasury responds to McCloud consultation in respect of the unfunded public service schemes HM Treasury has today published its response to the consultation on changes to the transitional arrangements to the 2015 schemes alongside a written ministerial statement. This response is in respect of the unfunded public service pension schemes only. Changes to the LGPS were consulted on separately. We expect MHCLG to make a written statement in relation to the consultation on changes to the underpin in England and Wales later this month. |
| 29 January - LGPS update - video recording and presentation slides available The presentation slides and video recording of the LGPS update are available to view on the past events page of the LGA website. The LGPS update took place on 26 January 2021. |
| 27 January - LGPC Bulletin 205 published LGPC Bulletin 205 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page |
| 25 January - SPPA publishes Circular 2021/1 SPPA has published Circular 2021/1 - PI Review and Revaluation Order. You can find all SPPA bulletins on the SPPA Circulars and guidance page. |
» 2020
| 21 December - LGA and LGPC responds to HMT consultation on PSPS GMP indexation The LGA and LGPC have responded to HMT Public Service Pensions GMP indexation consultation. It can be found on the non-scheme consultation page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 17 December - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 10 December 2020 published The minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting held on 10 December 2020 have been published. They can be found on the Technical group page of www.lgpsregs.org and www.scotlgpsregs.org. |
| 11 December - Bulletin 204 December 2020 published LGPC Bulletin 204 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 27 November - Interfund contact added to Your LGPS contacts system A new section has been added to the Your LGPS contacts system for interfund contacts. Administering authorities should log into the system and enter at least one interfund contact. |
| 10 November - Bulletin 203 published LGPC Bulletin 203 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 04 November - COVID-19 FAQs for administrators and employers updated We have updated both the FAQs for administrators and the FAQs for employers. For both FAQs, we have amended the questions covering furlough, whether the Ombudsman’s service will be affected, whether the Scottish and Welsh governments have introduced life assurance schemes, and what flexibilities an administering authority has when dealing with exiting employers. In addition, for the FAQs for administrators, we have also updated the questions on whether there will be any relaxation of the deadlines for sending AFT returns and for telling HMRC about overseas transfers. |
| 22 October - LGPC respond to the consultation on amendments to the statutory underpin The LGPC has now submitted a response the LGPS: Addressing discrimination - amendments to the statutory underpin consultation. The response can be viewed on the scheme consultations page. |
| 21 October - National LGPS Technical Group minutes of 1 October 2020 published We have published the minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 1 October 2020. Discussions and updates covering: Pension Schemes Bill 2019-21 – McCloud Remedy – Public Sector Exit Payments - Pensions Dashboards – Pensions Tax Relief |
| 16 October - LGA respond to the call for evidence on pensions tax relief administration Our response can be viewed on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 09 October - LGA respond to McCloud consultation for the unfunded schemes The LGA's response to the 'Public service pension schemes: changes to the transitional arrangements to the 2015 schemes' consultation is available to view on the non-scheme consultations page |
| 09 October - Communications Working Group minutes published The minutes from the communications working group meeting of 29 September are available to view on the Communication Working Group page |
| 08 October - HMT publish GMP indexation consultation HMT have published a consultation on Public Sector Pensions GMP Indexation; it is available on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 06 October - LGPC minutes published The draft minutes from the LGPC meeting of 7 September are available to view on the LGPC minutes page |
| 30 September - LGPC Bulletin 202 published The September 2020 bulletin (202) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 27 August - LGPC Bulletin 201 August 2020 published The August 2020 bulletin (201) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 25 August - LGA response to pensions dashboards call for input published Following the pensions dashboards call for input on 6 July 2020, the LGA has published its response which can be found in the non scheme consultations page of this website. |
| 03 August - Bulletin 200 published The July 2020 bulletin (200) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 28 July - SPPA Circular 4/2020 The SPPA has published Circular 4/2020 covering an update on male survivors of opposite-sex marriages. |
| 21 July - Government response to exit cap consultation pubished The Government has published its response to the 2019 consultation on restricting exit payments in the public sector. You can see their response on the non-scheme consultations page. |
| 16 July - MHCLG publish McCloud consultation for the LGPS (E&W) MHCLG has published a consultation on amendments to the statutory underpin to remove the unlawful age discrimination identified in the McCloud judgment. |
| 16 July - HM Treasury cost cap pause lifted The Government has provided an update on the employer cost cap process that applies to all public service pension schemes. The update confirms that the pause will be lifted and the 2016 valuation process completed, taking into account the cost of addressing the discrimination identified in the McCloud judgment. The SAB (E&W) are considering whether to lift the pause on the separate SAB cost cap process. |
| 16 July - HM Treasury publish McCloud consultation for unfunded schemes On 16 July 2020, HM Treasury published a Public service pension schemes consultation setting out proposals to remove age discrimination from the unfunded public sector schemes. This consultation covers the Teachers’, NHS and Police Pension Schemes in England and Wales and the Firefighters’ Pension Schemes in England. |
| 30 June - June 2020 bulletin published The June 2020 bulletin (199) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 19 June - Minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group of 12 June 2020 published We have published the minutes of the National LGPS Technical Group meeting of 12 June 2020. Discussions covered: Pensions Dashboards, NI Database, AVCs, COVID-19. With updates on McCloud, Cost Control, Exit Payments Cap, G M P, Local Valuation Cycle and the Management of Employer Risk, SF3 Data Collection, Survivor Benefits, Forfeiture and Fair Deal |
| 18 June - COVID-19 FAQs for administrators and employers updated We have updated both the FAQs for administrators and the FAQs for employers. For both FAQs, we have amended the questions on whether employers can reclaim pension contributions for staff on furlough and whether there will be any relaxation on the 2019/20 annual benefit statement deadline. In addition, for the FAQs for administrators, we have also updated the questions on whether LGPS authorities can suspend CETV payments and what approach TPR will take to breaches, and added a new question covering how members can contact the scheme. |
| 16 June - Transfer warning letter adapted for use by the LGPS TPR's guidance on communicating to members during COVID-19 includes a request for pension managers to issue a transfer warning letter to members applying for a CETV quote. The original letter, jointly prepared by TPR, FCA and MaPS contains references to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and is not suitable for use by the LGPS. An adapted version of the letter is now available for use by LGPS administering authorities. TPR has asked that the letter is issued to all members requesting a CETV quote to a DC scheme for the foreseeable future. |
| 01 June - May 2020 bulletin published The May 2020 bulletin (198) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 28 May - COVID-19 webinar for employers We recently delivered webinars for LGPS employers covering the pension issues they might face during the pandemic. Please visit the COVID-19 news page to access a recording of the webinar. |
| 28 May - COVID-19 FAQs for employers updated We have published COVID-19 FAQs for employers. These will help employers understand pension issues that may arise due to the coronavirus pandemic. |
| 22 May - Governance survey results published The Scheme Advisory Board have published the results of the LGPS COVID-19 Governance survey. The survey ran from 1 to 15 May. |
| 21 May - COVID-19 FAQs for administrators updated We have updated the COVID-19 FAQs for administrators. In the 'payment of benefits' section we have updated the question on the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme (England) to reflect that the Government have now published guidance on it. We have also added a question to clarify the current position on the equivalent life assurance schemes in Scotland and Wales. |
| 12 May - COVID-19 webinar for employers We are delivering a webinar for LGPS employers in Scotland on the impact of COVID-19. Please visit the COVID-19 news and information page for more details and how to reserve a place. |
| 12 May - COVID-19 FAQS for administrators updated We have updated the COVID-19 FAQs for administrators. In the 'Furloughed staff' section we have confirmed that an employer can choose to award additional pension to a member whose pay has been reduced. |
| 01 May - Bulletin 197 published The April 2020 bulletin (197) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 01 May - COVID-19 FAQs for administrators updated We have updated the COVID-19 FAQs for administrators. A new question about issuing the TPR transfer warning letter is added under the 'Governance and Resilience' section. |
| 29 April - COVID-19 FAQs for administrators updated We have updated the COVID-19 FAQs for administrators. Updates include: In the 'Governance and Resilience' section the question on how TPR will approach breaches has been updated. A new 'Payment of benefits' section has been added under which two questions on ill health and a question on the new life assurance scheme are added. Under the 'Emergency Volunteering Leave, Secondment, Re-employment and Reserve Forces Leave' section a new question on abating CAY is added. |
| 17 April - COVID-19 FAQs for administrators updated We have updated the COVID-19 FAQs for administrators. Both questions in the 'Annual Scheme Events' section have been updated and a new question on salary sacrifice has been added to the 'Furloughed Staff' section. |
| 08 April - Bulletin 196 - March 2020 published March bulletin (196) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 07 April - COVID-19 NEW FAQs added for administrators We have published a further batch of coronavirus FAQs for LGPS administrators. These have been added to the Governance and Resilience', 'Annual Scheme Events' and 'Pensions Tax' sections. We will continue to update the FAQs page with any new developments. |
| 06 April - COVID-19 3rd batch of FAQs for administrators We have published the third batch of coronavirus FAQs for LGPS administrators and employers. We will continue to update the FAQs page with any new developments. |
| 02 April - COVID-19 2nd batch of FAQs for administrators We have published the second batch of coronavirus FAQs for LGPS administrators and employers. We will continue to update the FAQs page with any new developments. |
| 01 April - COVID-19 FAQs for administrators We have published the first batch of coronavirus FAQs for LGPS administrators and employers. We will update the FAQs page with any new developments. |
| 31 March - Annual update bulletin 195 published The Annual update bulletin (195) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 24 March - Covid-19 message and online survey Today, all pension managers will receive a message from the LGA about minimum levels of service provision and the measures that we are taking to support administering authorities in these uncertain times. All administering authorities are asked to feedback, via an online survey , issues in terms of resources, the ability to process data, the situation of scheme employers together with any local challenges to service provision. This will enable us to raise the awareness with Government, seek the clarification needed and to issue necessary guidance and advice. |
| 18 March - SPPA circulars 2020/2 & 2020/3 Tiered contribution rate system and updated tiered contribution guidance 2020 - Circular 2020/3 Pensions Increase March 2020 - Circular 2020/2 |
| 10 March - National LGPS Technical Group minutes of 06/03/20 published Discussions: CIPFA annual report guidance, GAD 2020 data collection, Statutory guidance for survivor benefits, AVCs, GMP reconciliation and equalisation. Updates on McCloud, Fair Deal, 4 Year Valuation & Exit Credits, 95k cap and recovery |
| 28 February - February bulletin published The February bulletin (194) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 31 January - January bulletin published The January bulletin (193) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
» 2019
| 30 December - December bulletin published The December bulletin (192) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 20 December - Version 8.0 of the Transfer Out declaration forms published Transfer out declaration forms version 8.0, updated to include opposite sex civil partnerships and clarification surrounding 'Earner' |
| 13 December - National LGPS Technical Group minutes of 10 December 2019 published Agreements and discussions covering: LGPS Knowledge System, CIPFA annual report guidance, AVCs to additional pension and ABS content |
| 29 November - Bulletin 191 - November 2019 and Circular 315 - November 2019 Bulletin 191 published and Circular 315 published (2020 Annual Governance Conference update) |
| 30 October - October bulletin published The October bulletin (no. 190) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 30 September - September (no. 189) bulletin published The September 2019 LGPC bulletin (no. 189) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 27 September - National LGPS Technical Group minutes of 20 September 2019 published Agreements concerning claims management companies, aggregation & concurrency, purchase of LGPS Knowledge system. Updates on McCloud, Fair Deal, 4 Year Valuation & Exit Credits, Exit payments |
| 09 September - Equitable Life transfer - Counsel's opinion on considerations for administering authorities published The LGPC secretariat have obtained a Counsel’s opinion on considerations for administering authorities when voting on the proposed transfer of Equitable Life's business to Utmost Life and Pensions. The opinion be viewed on the legal opinions page. |
| 28 August - Bulletin 188 August 2019 published Bulletin 188 is now available on the LGPC Bulletins page. Of particular importance is the article on Equitable Life. |
| 19 August - LGPS community document published The purpose of this document is to explain the relationship between the different bodies that make up the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) community. It has been produced at the request of the Local Government Pension Committee who are of the view that it will be particularly helpful to pension committee and local pension board members. It is available under the guides and sample documents page. |
| 02 August - July Bulletin (187) published The July 2019 LGPC bulletin (no. 187) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 15 July - Government confirms that the McCloud judgment is to apply to all public service pension schemes The statement confirms that "as ‘transitional protection’ was offered to members of all the main public service pension schemes, the government believes that the difference in treatment will need to be remedied across all those schemes. This includes schemes for the NHS, civil service, local government, teachers, police, armed forces, judiciary and fire and rescue workers. Continuing to resist the full implications of the judgment in Court would only add to the uncertainty experienced by members." |
| 01 July - June bulletin (no. 186) published The June 2019 LGPC bulletin (no. 186) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 27 June - Breaking news: Government denied request for an appeal in the McCloud case On 27th June the Supreme Court denied the Government’s request to appeal the McCloud case. This followed a ruling in the Court of Appeal regarding age discrimination arising from public sector pension scheme transition arrangements. The case will now be referred back to the Employment Tribunal for remedy. The Q&A on the case on the SAB website has been updated following the Supreme Court’s decision. The matter will be discussed further at the Scheme Advisory Board meeting on the 8th July. |
| 20 June - LGPS National Technical Group minutes of 14 June 2019 published Agreements concerning the NI Database - Recommendation to SAB concerning future refunds and the issues around non-payment of CEPs – Supplementary Pensions Increase technical guide approved – PENTAG on-line guide agreed that LGA would lead the project. The minutes can be found in the technical group minutes page. |
| 10 June - Annual LGPS Governance Conference now open for booking Annual LGPS Governance conference is taking place at the Principal Hotel York 23 - 24 January 2020. The conference is aimed at elected members and others who attend pension committees/panels and local pension boards. Book your place on the LGA events page. More information including the training programme is available in circular 314. |
| 30 May - Bulletin 185 May 2019 published This bulletin contains a number of important updates for LGPS administering authorities, scheme employers and software providers; whilst also providing a general update for all stakeholders. The bulletin can be found in the LGPC bulletins page. |
| 17 April - Briefing on the exit cap consultation published The LGPC Secretariat has published a briefing for local government employers and LGPS administering authorities which collates information from the HMT consultation documents. The briefing along with all the consultation documents can be viewed on the Non-scheme consultations page. |
| 10 April - HM Treasury issue consultation on the exit cap HM Treasury have today issued a 12 week consultation called 'Restricting exit payments in the public sector: consultation on implementation of regulations'. The consultation closes on 3 July 2019. Consultation documents can be viewed on the Non-scheme consultations page. The LGA will provide a summary of the consultation shortly. |
| 10 April - Fundamentals training is now open for booking Fundamentals is a three day training course aimed at elected members and others who attend pension committees/panels and local pension boards. It runs from October to December each year in three different locations. Book your place on the LGA events page. More information including the training programme is available in circular 313. |
| 08 April - Communication working group minutes published The minutes from the meeting held on 3 April 2019 are available to view under the CWG minutes page. |
| 29 March - Bulletin 183 published The March 2019 LGPC bulletin (no. 183) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 22 March - Bulletin 182 March 2019 Annual Update published Bulletin 182 - Annual Update March 2019 has been published and is available from LGPC bulletins. |
| 15 March - The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2019 published The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2019 published effective from 8 April 2019 |
| 13 March - LGPS National Technical Group minutes of 8 March 2019 published Recommendation to SAB EW re: aggregation following the cessation of a concurrent employment & to remove the 5 year limit to pay a 2014 refund of contributions - Recommendation to seek POG group support for PENTAG on-line LGPS historical guide - McCloud and SAB survey re 2019 valuation - Finalisation of revised Terms of Reference - Response to Fair Deal consultation published by MHCLG on 4 January 2019 - CEPs and the end of contracting out - Academy sponsors - Changes to the NI Database / update – List of LGA technical queries with MHCLG – List of historical recommendations made by Technical group. The minutes can be found in the technical group minutes page. |
| 19 February - Bulletin 181 February (2) 2019 published This is the second bulletin to be published in February 2019 has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 15 February - SAB publish a McCloud Case Q&A The Scheme Advisory Board to the LGPS in England and Wales has produced a Q&A for administering authorities on the potential timescales and possible outcomes of the McCloud case and its impact on the cost cap process. The Q&A is available on the Board's website. |
| 08 February - SAB cost management process paused On 8th February, the SAB announced that it considers it has no option but to pause its own cost management process pending the outcome of the McCloud case. As a result there are currently no changes to benefits planned in respect of the cost cap. For more information see the cost management page on the Board's website. |
| 02 February - National Communications Working Group minutes published The minutes from the meeting held on 15 January 2019 are available to view under the CWG minutes page. |
| 04 January - The application of increases to LGPS pensions - technical guide The information in this Guide sets out the LGPC Secretariat’s understanding of how increases are applied to LGPS pensions in payment on and after 6 April 2016 (i.e. following the end of contracting out). The guide can be found in the guides and sample documents page. |
» 2018
| 21 December - December bulletin (no.179) published The December 2018 LGPC bulletin (no. 179) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 14 December - LGPS National Technical Group minutes of 11 December 2018 published NI Database usage expansion, possible recommendation for change to timescale for payment of 2014 refund, Ms D v bath & North East Somerset (the Council) (PO23282), Transfers out – requests for information from Claims Management companies, Aggregation following the cessation of a concurrent employment, Ministerial Direction under s59A of the Social Security Pensions Act 1975, revision to the Terms of Reference, creation of sub-groups to review forthcoming consultations, factor for interfunds. |
| 30 November - November bulletin (no. 178) published November bulletin (no. 178) published |
| 28 November - SPPA issue updated non-club transfer and pension CETV on divorce factors MHCLG issue updated non-club transfer and pension CETV on divorce factors |
| 03 November - October bulletin (no. 177) published The October 2018 LGPC bulletin (no. 177) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 23 October - LGPS National Technical Group minutes of 28 September 2018 published Recommendation: refund process where payment of refund is reaching the 5 year maximum retention period, Recommendation: change to the forfeiture regulations, Recommendation: process for CEP reclaim upon transfer from the LGPS to another registered pension scheme, View: impact of TUPE on pensionable employment, View: payment of an exit credit where a commercial risk sharing agreement is in place, Connected entities, LGPC update and National LGPS Technical Group membership and terms of reference |
| 12 October - 15th LGPS annual governance conference - programme published The programme for the 15th LGPS annual governance conference is now available. Places are going fast - see the programme for information on how to book your place. |
| 26 September - Bulletin 176 - September 2018 published September bulletin 176 was published on 26 September 2018. |
| 21 September - 15th LGPS annual governance conference - now open for booking The 15th LGPS annual governance conference is now open for booking on the LGA events page. The conference is taking place in Bristol on 17/18 January 2019 and will be of interest to elected members and others who attend pension committees and local pension boards. Early booking is recommended. More information is available in Circular 310 |
| 31 August - August bulletin (no. 175) published The August 2018 LGPC bulletin (no. 175) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 31 July - Bulletin 174 published Bulletin 174 was published on 31 July 2018 |
| 17 July - Fundamentals training now open for booking The fundamentals training course is now live for booking on the LGA events page. Fundamentals is a three day training course aimed at pension committee and local pension board members. Early booking is highly recommended. More information is available in Circular 309 |
| 13 July - HMRC Annual Allowance calculator is back online The issues with HMRC's annual allowance calculator have now been fixed and the calculator is back online. |
| 12 July - SPPA issue Increased Pension Entitlement consultation SPPA have confirmed that Scottish Ministers had decided that the approach to be taken concerning overpayments arising from the contracted-out reconciliation exercise should be in keeping with a similar exercise that took place in 2008/2009. On 12 July 2018, SPPA published a consultation to facilitate this approach. |
| 02 July - Timeline LGPS Regulations 2018 published A timeline version of the consolidated LGPS (Scotland) Regulations 2018 has now been published and is available under LGPS Regulations 2018. |
| 29 June - Bulletin 173 published The June 2018 LGPC bulletin (no. 173) has now been published and is available on the LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 21 June - Full privacy notice updated - Version 3 is now available Squire Patton Boggs have updated the template full privacy notice to include administering authorities of other LGPS funds in the section which sets out which data controllers LGPS funds share data with. Clean and tracked versions of the privacy notice are available under guides and sample documents. |
| 19 June - Circular 307 - training events published Circular 307 - training events published |
| 08 June - LGPS National Technical Group minutes published LGPC update, LGPS(Amendment) Regulations 2018, Elmes v Essex, TPR Governance & Administration Survey 2018, useage expansion of the NI database, aggregation and Bona Vacantia payments |
| 30 May - Bulletin 172 pubished Bulletin 172 published on 30 May 2018 |
| 17 May - Circular 306 - training events published Circular 306 has been published and is available under LGPC circulars. |
| 30 April - April 2018 bulletin pubished LGPC's April bulletin (no.170) has been published and is available under LGPC bulletins. |
| 25 April - Employee guides updated The employee and councillor guides have been updated for the 2018/19 annual updates. |
| 17 April - HMRC Annual Allowance calculator temporarily removed Unfortunately, following the addition of the 2018/2019 tax year, the pensions annual allowance calculator is not working as it should in some cases. As this is not in line with the level of service that HMRC is committed to provide, and to make sure customers get the right results from the calculator in future, they have temporarily removed access to the calculator until it can be updated. |
| 01 April - GDPR - memorandum of understanding issued The LGPC Secretariat, on behalf of LGPS administering authorities, commissioned Squire Patton Boggs to produce a template Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) document for administering authorities to issue to participating employers in their fund. The document is now available for download under the guides and sample documents page. |
| 29 March - LTA and AA member factsheets updated Updates have been made to both the lifetime allowance and annual allowance member factsheets. Tracked and clean versions are available for download under the guides and sample documents page. The latest versions are 1.5 for the lifetime allowance factsheet and 1.4 for the annual allowance factsheet. |
| 28 March - Bulletin 168 and 169 published Bulletin 168 (March 2018) has been published and contains topics such as the publication of the new Freedom & Choice AVC technical guide, SPPA circulars, security compliance for TUO, publication of GDPR template privacy notices and publication of version 7.0 of the transfer out declaration forms. Bulletin 169 (Annual Update 2018/19) has also been published. Both bulletins are available under LGPC bulletins. |
| 27 March - Transfer out declaration forms - version 7.0 We have removed reference for the requirement to be a ‘nominated’ co-habiting partner in respect of the Northern Ireland LGPS and made clear that where a transfer is in respect of a deferred refund, this is a ‘Cash Transfer Sum’. We have also made a technical adjustment to the areas concerning what sums should be included when assessing whether or not the aggregate value of a members benefits has exceeded £30,000 or not. |
| 27 March - Technical Group minutes of 9 March 2018 Minutes of the Technical Group meeting held on 9 March 2018 covering the LGPC update, Consultation outcome on indexation and equalisation of GMP in public service pension schemes, GMP Technical Working Group that took place on 28 February 2018 - update, Contracted-out reconciliation – rectification (Stage 3), Contracted Out Reconciliation – Stalemate cases, HMRC Notification for Survivors, Re Use of Public Sector Information Request, GDPR – Data Sharing – Mortality Screening, TPR Conditional data. |
| 15 March - SPPA circulars 1, 2 and 3 SPPA circulars 2018/1-GMP, 2-Contribution rates and 3-PI and revaluation |
| 13 March - GDPR - template privacy notices published The LGPC secretariat, on behalf of LGPS administering authorities, commissioned Squire Patton Boggs to produce two template privacy notices for LGPS administering authorities to use / adapt. The privacy notices will need to be tailored to the specific circumstances of each fund taking into consideration the notes on the first page and the footnotes when doing so. Both privacy notices are available under guides and sample documents. |
| 06 March - GDPR - Q&A for members published The Communications Working Group in conjunction with the LGA have published a Q&A for members on the GDPR. The document is available under guides and sample documents. |
| 01 March - February 2018 bulletin published The LGPC Secretariat's February 2018 bulletin (no. 167) has now been published and is available under LGPC bulletins. |
| 29 January - January 2018 bulletin published The LGPC Secretariat's January 2018 bulletin (no. 166) has now been published and is available under LGPC bulletins. |
| 22 January - Government response to the consultation on indexation and equalisation of GMP in public service pension schemes The Government has responded to its consultation on the indexation and equalisation of GMP in public service pension schemes, issued on 28 November 2016, this has been published and is available under Non-scheme consultations. |
| 11 January - LGPC response to draft LGPS (Scotland) Regulations 2018 published The LGPC Secretariat's response, to the consultation issued in November 2017 covering the draft LGPS (Scotland) Regulations 2018, has now been published and is available under Scheme consultations. |
» 2017
| 22 December - December 2017 bulletin published The LGPC Secretariat's December 2017 bulletin (no. 165) has now been published and is available under LGPC bulletins. |
| 06 December - Annual Allowance technical guide updated A revised version (version 3.3) of the annual allowance technical guide has been uploaded to the guides and sample documents page. The guide has been updated to reflect the reduction in Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA) from 6 April 2017 and also to correct the carry forward examples on pages 126 to 143 of the guide. |
| 05 December - Updated transfer declaration forms issued Version 6.0 of the LGPC Secretariat's pack of transfer declaration forms have been issued and are available under guides and sample documents. |
| 30 November - November 2017 bulletin published The LGPC's November 2017 bulletin (no. 164) has now been published. To read the bulletin, please visit the LGPC bulletins webpage. |
| 13 November - Automatic enrolment brief guide updated The automatic enrolment brief guide has now been updated in accordance with the Employers’ Duties (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2017 which has the effect of aligning the timing of the deferral date in relation to postponement so that for staging and post-staging employers the period for which automatic enrolment can be deferred is the same i.e. three months and one day. In addition some other small amendments have also been made. A clean and tracked version of the guide (version 8.0) are available under guides and sample documents. |
| 08 November - SPPA commence consultation on new LGPS Scotland Regulations 2018 The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) have commenced a consultation on a new set of regulations governing the LGPS in Scotland, the LGPS (Scotland) Regulations 2018. The draft regulations would replace the LGPS (Scotland) Regulations 2014. The consultation documents can be found on the scheme consultations page and on the SPPA website. The consultation closes on 1 January 2018. |
| 03 November - October 2017 bulletin published The LGPC's October 2017 bulletin (no. 163) has now been published. To read the bulletin, please visit our LGPC bulletins webpage. |
| 03 November - Transfer declaration form updates and temporary withdrawal of Freedom and Choice guide The LGPC Secretariat have made a series of updates to our suite of transfer declaration forms, the current versions of which can be found under guides and sample documents. We have also temporarily withdrawn the Freedom and Choice technical guide whilst we make a series of updates to its content. The updated version of the guide will be published as soon as possible and, in the meantime, the most recent version of the guide can be found under withdrawn guides. |
| 30 September - September 2017 bulletin published The September 2017 LGPC bulletin, no. 162, has now been published and is available on the LGPC bulletins page. |
| 05 September - New automatic enrolment brief guide published A relaunched version (version 7.0) of the automatic enrolment brief guide has now been published and is available under guides and sample documents. The new version is a complete rewrite of the guide meaning that a tracked version is not available. The new guide aims to supplement the information provided by the Pensions Regulator (TPR); it covers automatic enrolment from the perspective of the LGPS and TPS and contains signposts to the detailed guidance available on TPR’s website. The sample letters have also been updated and are now contained in a standalone document – clean and tracked version of these are also available under guides and sample documents. The full guide has now been removed and placed under withdrawn guides. We have taken this decision because in 2017 automatic enrolment, for the most part, is simply ‘business as usual’ and the TPR website contains the vast majority of information needed by an employer. |
| 29 August - August 2017 bulletin published The August 2017 LGPC bulletin, no. 161, has now been published and is available on the LGPC bulletins page. |
| 03 August - July 2017 bulletin published The July 2017 LGPC bulletin (no. 160) is now available on the LGPC bulletins along with accompanying appendices. |
| 19 July - Updated lifetime allowance factsheet published Minor updates have been made to the sample lifetime allowance factsheet for scheme members which is now available as version 1.4 on the guides and sample documents page. A tracked version of the factsheet shows the amendments made in the revised version. |
| 02 July - June 2017 Technical Group minutes uploaded The minutes of the June 2017 meeting of Technical Group are now available on the Technical Group minutes page. |
| 30 June - June 2017 bulletin published The June 2017 LGPC bulletin, no. 159, has now been published and is available on our LGPC bulletins page. |
| 26 June - March 2017 LGPC minutes published The minutes of the 6 March 2017 LGPC meeting have now been finalised and are available on the LGPC minutes page. |
| 07 June - New version of the automatic enrolment full guide issued Version 6.2 of the automatic enrolment full guide for pension funds and employers has now been issued and is available on the guides and sample documents page. This will be the last version of the full guide to be issued and, once legislative changes are introduced that would mean the guide would again need to be updated, the guide will be removed and placed on the withdrawn guides page. The current version of the LGA pension team's automatic enrolment brief guide has been moved to the withdrawn guides pending a re-launch of the guide, due in late Summer 2017. |
| 07 June - Updated versions of HR and Payroll guides issued Versions 1.8 of the LGPS 2015 HR and Payroll guides have now been issued and are available on the guides and sample documents page. |
| 05 June - Bulletin 158 published The LGPC secretariat's May 2017 bulletin (no. 158) has now been published and is available on the LGPC bulletins page. |
| 15 May - SPPA publish new guidance on conversion of accumulated AVCs SPPA have published new guidance on the use of accumulated AVCs to purchase additional pension under the scheme. The new guidance, dated 10 May 2017, replaces the prior version dated 26 February 2015 and is available on the Actuarial guidance page of the website. |
| 08 May - Updated trivial commutation guide issued Version 1.7 of the LGPC guide to trivial commutation for LGPC administrators has now been issued and is available on our Guides and sample documents page. |
| 20 April - Scheme administrator factsheet published on the overseas transfer charge A scheme administrator factsheet has been published on the overseas transfers charge that can apply to QROPS transfers from 9 March 2017. |
| 20 April - Transfer discharge forms updated The transfer discharge forms have been updated. Clean and tracked versions are available (version 4.0). |
| 28 March - 2017 conference now open for booking The LGPC's trustees' conference, taking place this year in Bournemouth on 29-30 June 2017, is now open for bookings. Full details are available in circular 303 and in the conference flyer. To book, visit the LGA Events website. |
| 28 March - March 2017 bulletin published The LGPC's March 2017 bulletin (no. 156) has been published containing a number of general items of information. The bulletin is available on our LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 22 March - LGPC annual update bulletin 2017 published LGPC bulletin no. 155 containing the annual update for 2017 has now been published. The bulletin can be found on our LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 21 March - 2017 annual update SIs published The 2017 'annual update' statutory instruments, meaning those SIs which amends rates and bands applicable from April 2017 for various purposes, have now been published by the Government and are available on the Related legislation page. The accompanying annual update bulletin is due to be published shortly. |
| 01 March - LGPC bulletin no. 154 published The February 2017 bulletin (no. 154) has now been published and is available on our LGPC Bulletins page. |
| 27 February - Updated annual allowance guide published Minor amendments have been made to the annual allowance guide which has now been published as version 3.2 and is available on our Guides and sample documents page: - An update has been made to footnote 81 in paragraph 68 - Paragraph 71 and example 48 have been updated to correct an error in the revaluation rate added to the Opening Value |
| 20 February - LGA submits response to GMP consultation The LGA have submitted its response to the HM Treasury consultation on the indexation and equalisation of GMP in public service pension schemes (Gov.uk). The response is available on our Non-scheme consultations page. |
| 13 February - New factsheet on topping up state pension published Following discussions held at the communications working group in late 2016, the LGPC Secretariat have published a short factsheet for members on the options available for topping up their state pension. The leaflet’s content has been checked by DWP’s policy team and can be found on our Guides and sample documents page. As mentioned in bulletin 150 topping up the State Pension may be particularly appealing to former public sector workers who have: a) Retired, and b) Not yet reached SPA (or have reached their SPA since 6 April 2016). |
| 10 February - Cabinet Office update public sector transfer club memorandum The Cabinet Office have issued an updated version of the public sector transfer club memorandum along with an updated list of the schemes participating in the club. The updated memorandum is effective from 1 March 2017. The updated documents are available on the Civil Service Pensions website as well as under other Government documentson this website. The main changes to both documents are shown in red. |
| 01 February - Bulletin 153 published The January 2017 LGPC bulletin has now been published and is available on our LGPC bulletins page. |
