Local Government Pensions Scheme in England and Wales - Scheme Improvements (Access and Protections)

Overview

Ministerial foreword 

Across England and Wales, millions of individuals working in local government and beyond have contributed to improving the places we live in and to building public trust. From delivering frontline services to shaping local decisions, those individuals play a vital role in the social and economic wellbeing of our communities.

The government knows that those individuals who serve our communities through giving their work lives to public service deserve a pension scheme that reflects their dedication and rewards their work. A good pension is not just about financial security, but also about fairness, equality, efficiency and access. The government cares about making the Local Government Pension Scheme work better for the people it serves.

For these reasons, the government is launching this consultation “Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales – Scheme Improvements (Access and Protections)”, which represents the next phase in its efforts to improve access to and fairness in the scheme. It follows the launch earlier this year of the “Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales: Access and fairness” consultation, which covered proposals to begin to address the gender pension gap, ensure fairness in survivor benefits and death grants, begin work to better understand opt-outs, and a number of other changes.

This consultation sets out proposals across four key policy areas. These are amending the normal minimum pension age to reflect legislative changes, simplifying the process for applications for directions, applying new Fair Deal protections to outsourced workers, and bringing pension fund access to mayors and councillors in England in line with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Several of these proposals respond to a range of long-standing concerns raised by the sector, particularly in relation to Fair Deal, which has been an area of interest in the scheme since 2016. We have considered those previous calls for changes that have been sought over many years whilst preparing these current proposals.

This consultation is our opportunity to hear from you about the government’s proposals to further improve and shape the pension scheme in a way that works for those who serve our communities and the wider public sector. Together, we can draw on our experiences to strengthen the Local Government Pension Scheme today and in the future. Your voices matter.

Alison McGovern MP, Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness