VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
What’s happening inside the LGPS?
19/05/2025 Get the most informed take on the challenges and opportunities that substantial reform will bring at this year’s PLSA Local Authority Conference. |
‘Historic changes’ to council pensions to end discrimination
15/05/2025 A package of reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is set to end discrimination and boost maternity leave, deputy PM Angela Rayner says. |
Ministers tell pension pools to merge
15/04/2025 Two local authority pension pools have reacted angrily after their plans to meet new standards were rejected by ministers. |
Government green lights Plymouth financial support
25/03/2025 The Government has green lighted Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) worth £72m for Plymouth City Council following a review of its finances. |
UNISON: Reorganisation must not be ‘cover for job cuts’
20/03/2025 The abolition of district councils as part of local government reorganisation puts thousands of frontline jobs at risk, says UNISON. |
Barnet issues s114 over unauthorised payments
24/01/2025 Barnet LBC has issued a section 114 notice over ‘unlawful' payments to and from the council's pension fund. |
Councils challenge Chancellor over pension ‘megafunds’
16/01/2025 Councils in England and Wales have spoken out against the Government’s plans for pension ‘megafunds’, warning they could lead to conflicts of interest. |
North Lincs offers pensioners free air fryers
04/12/2024 North Lincolnshire Council will use funding from the household support fund to offer pensioners a free air fryer. |
Chancellor confirms pension ‘megafund’ plans
14/11/2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed plans to merge local government pension schemes into ‘megafunds’ to drive economic growth. |
Reeves to call for consolidation of £354bn council pension funds
11/11/2024 Rachel Reeves is set to announce plans to encourage consolidation among local government pension funds to reduce costs and boost infrastructure investment. |
Lib Dems call for cross-party talks on social care ‘postcode lottery’
09/10/2024 The Lib Dems have repeated their call for cross-party talks on social care after revealing a steep rise in the number of pensioners per care home. |
Council pension funds criticise listing rule reforms
07/10/2024 An alliance of council pension schemes has criticised the London Stock Exchange (LSE) over proposed changes to Financial Conduct Authority listing rules. |
£68m in Pension Credit is unclaimed, Kent says
30/09/2024 Almost 18,000 households in Kent could be missing out on a combined £68m in unclaimed Pension Credit, according to the county council. |
Starmer defeated in winter fuel payment vote
25/09/2024 The Labour leadership has lost a union-sponsored motion at the party’s conference that called on ministers to reverse the cuts to winter fuel payments. |
Government urged to reverse fuel payment cuts
20/09/2024 Councillors in Stockton have backed a motion urging the Government to reverse its ‘deeply unfair’ decision to stop providing the Winter Fuel Payment to millions of pensioners. |
Greater data sharing call after Reeves restricts winter fuel payments
10/09/2024 A group of 14 local authorities has written to Cabinet ministers to call for greater data sharing from central government to increase pension credit claims. |
Council staff face ‘hardship’ as they wait months for pensions
02/09/2024 Former council workers in the West Midlands are waiting months to receive their pensions after retiring, creating ‘huge hardship issues’, trade unions and a council have warned. |
Call for Reeves to remove barriers to pension investment
09/08/2024 The chancellor has been urged to make a ‘concerted effort' to break down barriers to investment so the local government pension scheme can boost growth. |
Warning over cuts to Winter Fuel Payment
05/08/2024 Tens of thousands of older people face a financial cliff-edge because of changes to the Winter Fuel Payment, new analysis has revealed. |
LGPS reform could unlock £40bn of infrastructure investment
24/07/2024 Reform of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) could unlock £40bn of investment for infrastructure, an insurance company has estimated. |
Extinction Rebellion activists scale council office
10/07/2024 Campaigners climbed onto the roof of East Sussex County Hall yesterday to demand the authority stops investing its pension fund in fossil fuels. |
LGPS quizzed in Labour economic growth push
04/07/2024 Labour has been asking local government pensions schemes their views on greater ‘investment into the UK’ as they look to drive growth, consultant says. |
Rising Trends: Local authority pension fund investment
02/07/2024 Jessica Bowles, director of strategic partnerships and impact at Bruntwood SciTech, discusses the rising trend of council pension fund investment in property. |
Annual welfare spending to rise by £20bn
13/06/2024 Welfare spending is set to increase by £20.8bn a year by the end of the next parliament, a think-tank has found. |
Pension funds told to report annually on pooling progress
17/05/2024 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds should report annually on progress against pooling and private equity investments, fresh guidance has said. |
Majority of pension fund leaders planning infrastructure investments
01/05/2024 Almost two-thirds of UK pension fund leaders are expecting to increase their investment in UK infrastructure during the next 12 months, a survey has revealed. |
Grant Thornton fined over pension audit
08/04/2024 Grant Thornton has been fined by the Financial Reporting Council for ‘failures’ in its audit of an unnamed local authority’s pension fund. |
Apple to pay £385m for council pension fund loses
18/03/2024 A group action lawsuit led by Norfolk County Council has forced the tech giant Apple to payout £385m in compensation for pension fund loses. |
Councils urged to review ‘excessive’ pensions contributions
26/01/2024 Councils should review ‘excessive’ pensions contributions to help ease the sector’s financial pressures, new analysis has found. |
Getting the most out of LGPS funds
27/11/2023 Isio partner and Public Services leader Steve Simkins reflects on the Autumn Statement announcement of a surprise Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) target. |
Autumn Statement: Hunt announces surprise LGPS plan
22/11/2023 The Chancellor has announced a surprise target to ensure all Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds are invested in asset pools of £200bn or more. |
Turning pensions into fossil fuel playthings
23/10/2023 Robert Noyes, Platform London, argues that if councils are serious about net zero, then local government pension funds must divest from fossil fuels. |
Over £12bn of council pensions invested in fossil fuel
23/10/2023 Over £12bn of local government pensions are invested in the fossil fuel industry, environmental campaigners have revealed. |
Local authority pension schemes invest £330m in renewables
13/10/2023 Six local authority pension schemes have agreed a multi-million-pound deal to invest in renewables projects in the southwest. |
Council pension funds call for climate vote
03/10/2023 Local authority pension fund managers have urged FTSE companies to give shareholders more of a say on plans to reach net zero. |
Pension consultants ramp up opposition to pooling reforms
27/09/2023 Council pension consultants have intensified opposition to Whitehall’s plan for a single model for pooled funds before a key Government consultation closes. |
Plymouth reaches impasse with auditor
30/08/2023 Auditors could issue a qualified opinion on Plymouth City Council’s accounts after questioning its methods to pay off a multi-million pound pension deficit. |
Sadiq Khan expands Pension Credit campaign
22/08/2023 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced the expansion of a scheme that has helped Londoners receive an additional £8.4m in unclaimed Pension Credit. |
LGPS staff voice workforce concerns
28/07/2023 Nearly a quarter of local government pension scheme (LGPS) employees feel they do not have the right staff in place, a new survey has revealed. |
'Flawed' climate change advice putting pension funds at risk
27/07/2023 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds are being put at risk by ‘flawed’ advice on the financial impact of climate change, according to a new study. |
Navigating the great LGPS investment reset
20/07/2023 Tom Pilcher, director in Redington's Investment Consulting team, looks at the Government’s ambitions for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). |
West Midlands Pension Fund announces first investment
14/07/2023 The West Midlands Pension Fund has invested in a private company for the first time through a £25m fund. |
New Local Government Pension Scheme resources published
28/06/2023 The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has published a guide for employers participating in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). |
LGPS weathers turbulent year
27/06/2023 The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) achieved growth in a turbulent 2021-22, according to an annual report. |
Gove to pursue council boycott ban
19/06/2023 Legislation aimed at preventing councils from launching their own boycotts has been introduced to Parliament. |
Pension figures lobbying over active management
08/06/2023 Council pension figures are lobbying for active management in case the Treasury renews pressure on the scheme’s funds to use cheaper passive investment. |
Consultation on £1.8bn LGPS change launched
01/06/2023 The Government has launched a consultation seeking views on changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). |
Pension fund managers called to account on climate
22/05/2023 Local government pensions expert has demanded a meeting with fund managers amid concerns about how investment managers use proxy votes at shareholder meetings. |
Shell hits back after council fund criticism
11/05/2023 British multinational oil and gas firm Shell has defended its plans after criticism by UK local authority pension funds. |
Nearly £19bn of benefits go unclaimed
02/05/2023 The total amount of unclaimed income-related benefits and social tariffs is now £18.7bn a year, a new study has found. |
Councils targeted in climate change ‘day of action’
24/03/2023 Councils, pension funds and financial institutions are being targeted in a ‘day of action’ to address fuel poverty, climate change and the energy crisis. |
Pension changes could ease recruitment pressure
21/03/2023 Changes to the pension rules could ease the pressure on senior recruitment in local government, sector figures have suggested. |
Council pension fund managers support social investments
15/03/2023 Most local government pension fund managers support investment that can achieve positive social benefits as well as financial returns, according to a survey. |
Camden first to publish pension gender gap
07/03/2023 Female Camden LBC employees receive a quarter less from their pensions than male employees, according to first pension gender gap report by a council. |
Local government pension schemes to increase health sector investments
01/03/2023 A survey of Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) fund professionals reveals that the majority would like to increase their investment in the health sector. |
How institutional investors can boost the UK’s private rented sector
28/02/2023 Cedric Bucher, CEO, Hearthstone Investments, looks at the role of institutional investors, such as local authority pension funds, in delivering housing. |
Two more LGPS investors back affordable housing fund
22/02/2023 Two LGPS investors have invested in the UK Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), which focuses on social and affordable rented housing. |
Growth for pension pool despite Covid
13/02/2023 One of local government’s biggest joint pension partnerships has now pooled £47.5bn of the £60bn assets under its management. |
Fresh pension pooling call
10/02/2023 A senior local government pensions figure has called for the sector to bring more assets into pools ahead of a long-awaited Whitehall consultation. |
London CIV backs Shell legal battle
10/02/2023 A lawsuit against energy giant Shell’s directors has been backed by a key local government pensions organisation. |
Public sector pension funds call for ‘Say on Climate’ vote
09/02/2023 Public sector pension funds have written to all FTSE listed companies requesting that they give shareholders a vote on plans for reducing emissions. |
Local government pension payments could rise due to inflation
19/10/2022 Future pensioner payments into local government pension schemes could be higher than assumed due to most LGPS Fund liabilities being uncapped to inflation. |
When private assets and responsible investing converge
31/08/2022 Tricia Ward argues private markets offer LGPS the ability to generate tangible, real-world impact. |
LGPS funds 'optimistic' about funding levels post valuation
11/07/2022 Nearly half of Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds expect to be more than 100% funded at their next valuation, new research has revealed. |
LGA Conference: Sector should consider offering four-day week
29/06/2022 Councils may have to consider offering a four-day week in order to attract the staff desperately needed by the sector, a workshop at the Local Government Association’s (LGA) annual conference has heard. |
Council chiefs urge pensioners to apply for cost-of-living benefits
15/06/2022 Local authority leaders today called on pensioners who are eligible for Pension Credit to apply for the top-up welfare payment to help with the cost of living. |
Local government pension schemes urged to work in ‘coherent way’
14/06/2022 The regulatory framework around local government pension schemes should work in a more ‘joined-up and coherent way’, new report says. |
Local government pension schemes set to increase private investments
13/06/2022 Local government pension funds are set to invest more in private markets due to increased confidence in the levels of transparency, new research has revealed. |
LGPS funds plan to increase local social investing
07/06/2022 Nearly nine out of ten (89%) Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds are planning to increase their allocation to local social investing in the next few years, a new survey has revealed. |
Government urges councils to review contracts with Russian companies
29/03/2022 The Government has called on all public sector organisations, including local authorities, to urgently review contracts with Russian and Belarussian companies. |
Gove urges pension funds to add to Russian pressure
14/03/2022 Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has urged local government pension scheme (LGPS) committee chairs to consider what more they can do to exert pressure on Russia. |
Council pension funds look to disinvest in Russian assets
03/03/2022 Local government pension funds have taken action to move investments away from Russian assets following the invasion of Ukraine. |
Council embroiled in legal battle with Apple over pension losses
16/02/2022 Norfolk CC has won first round of a legal battle with Apple who the council claims ‘misrepresented’ the state of its business leading to pension fund loses. |
Council pension schemes urged to invest in local economies
02/02/2022 Local government pension funds will be targetted to pump billions of pounds into regional economies as part of the new levelling up White Paper. |
Councils urged to stop using pension funds to invest in factory farming
20/01/2022 Environmental and animal rights campaigners have called on local authorities to divest money in their pension funds from factory farming. |
Council votes to disinvest £40m from fossil fuels
19/11/2021 Luton Council’s full council meeting has passed a resolution calling for its pension fund to disinvest almost £40m from fossil fuel firms. |
Councils urged to divest pension funds
03/11/2021 Campaigners are staging protests across the UK today, calling for councils to divest pension funds from fossil fuels. |
Pension funds urged to help achieve green economy switch
19/10/2021 Parliamentarians have urged local government pension funds to play an active role in achieving a ‘just transition’ to a green economy. |
Local government pension fund makes divestment threat
02/06/2021 Scotland’s largest local government pension fund will drop investments in fossil fuel firms that fail to act on the climate emergency. |
Pension fund joins ‘national conversation’ on retirement planning
25/05/2021 West Midlands Pension Fund (WMPF) has become the first fund in the Local Government Pension Scheme to join an initiative that’s starting a ‘national conversation’ about retirement planning. |
Local authority pension group’s fund secures £50m investment
28/04/2021 A fund set up by pension groups in London, including Local Pensions Partnership Investments, to invest in real estate has secured a £50m investment bringing its total capital to £150m. |
Local government pension fund to become net zero investor
10/03/2021 The Avon Pension Fund has committed to becoming a net zero investor by 2050 or earlier. |
Council pension funds invest nearly £10bn in fossil fuels
23/02/2021 Nearly £10bn of local government pension funds are still invested in fossil fuels, new research has uncovered. |
Inquiry launched into role of local authority pension funds in fighting climate change
20/01/2021 A parliamentary group has launched an inquiry into how institutional investors such as local authority pension funds can help drive a ‘just transition’ to a net zero economy. |
Council pension group raises concerns over Resolution Copper Project
06/01/2021 Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) has raised concerns following progress on the Resolution Copper Project in Arizona. |
Local government pension fund achieves 'gold standard' for administration
08/12/2020 The West Midlands Pension Fund has become the first local government pension scheme in England and Wales to achieve accreditation from the Pensions Administration Standards Association (PASA). |
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The new cap on Public Sector Exit Payments
03/12/2020 Charles Pallot outlines the new Restrictions on Public Sector Exit Payments for local authorities and the clash with LGPS strain payments. |
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Public sector exit cap signed into law
15/10/2020 The £95,000 cap on public sector exit payments was signed into law last night and will come into force on November 4. |
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Failure to deliver pension credit costing care system £4bn a year
14/09/2020 Failure to deliver pension credit to a million older people who are entitled to it is costing the health and social care system £4bn a year, report reveals. |
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Think tank proposes pension-style social care system
01/09/2020 A pension-style model is the most effective way of fixing the social care crisis, a new report from a think tank has argued. |
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Local authority pension fund invests £150m in rental housing
25/08/2020 An investment manager for local authority pension funds has invested £150m in private rental housing provider Get Living. |
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Pension ‘superfunds’ could aid post-Covid recovery, think tank says
15/06/2020 Pension ‘superfunds’ should be created to invest in infrastructure as part of Britain’s post-Covid recovery, a think tank has argued. |
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Government backs merger of two council pension funds
14/05/2020 The Government has given the go-ahead to merge two local government pension funds. |
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Legal & General commits £100m pension money for affordable housing
19/02/2020 Insurance giant Legal & General has provided £100m of long term debt financing to its affordable housing business. |
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Barnet Council to appoint new pension fund
12/02/2020 Barnet Council’s policy and resources committee are set to approve the appointment of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund to administer its pension scheme. |
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LGPS: Unlocking infrastructure
10/01/2020 Pension funds can play an important role backing useful projects such as railway infrastructure, water companies and green energy. Mark Whitehead met a man whose organisation invests local government pensions constructively. |
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Council makes 'significant' progress on its pension scheme
25/10/2019 A new report has found the London Borough of Barnet has made significant progress in the way it administers its pension fund since an improvement notice was issued in July. |
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Council pension scheme invests in green fund
11/10/2019 A council pension scheme has become one of the first to invest in a new ‘green’ fund which supports low carbon technology. |
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Launch of first pooled LGPS property fund
10/10/2019 A new fund that pools the property assets of three public sector pension schemes has been launched. |
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Council pension fund calls on housebuilders to improve transparency
04/09/2019 One of the biggest local government pension funds has called on housebuilding companies to improve the way they report environmental, social and governance issues. |
