GMB warns pension reforms at risk due to ‘delays and confusion’

The reform of local government pensions is at risk due to delays and confusion around the changes, warns trade union GMB.

The union claims the Government is yet to respond to proposals put forward at the end of July, and draft regulations to introduce the changes have yet to be issued.

GMB national secretary for public services, Brian Strutton, said: ‘Draft regulations to introduce the agreed changes that were due at the end of September have not been issued and the proposals put forward by unions and employers at the end of July to manage the future costs of the scheme have received no response from Government.’

The GMB says the Public Service Pensions Bill is currently ‘incompatible’ with the Local Government Pension Scheme and will cause 'serious and costly' problems if it is not reformed.

Strutton said: ‘It beggars belief that the government claimed to pursue public service pension reform to protect the taxpayer from rising costs and yet it can’t even respond to proposals put forward to manage costs in the biggest scheme.’