Issue - meetings

The update was provided by Matthew Mott (WYPF). There had been some meetings nationally regarding how to communicate the technical and regulatory updates. Delivery of the information had been delayed slightly while the messages in online videos for pension scheme members was tweaked.

Regarding staging for the Dashboards, Matthew Mott advised the final cut-off had been set at October 2026. However the WYPF wanted the work associated with staging to be completed a couple of months beforehand in case there were any unforeseen issues that needed to be resolved. An update on an expected completion date would be provided as the project progressed.

All pension saving statements had been sent out by 6 October.

Pension holders were receiving all the options available to them on retirement. Members were told that due to the amount of work that entails WYPF were encouraging members to only request estimates for the next 12 months.

Progress on the key performance indicators had generally been good. Matthew Mott said that in cases where performance had been below par, this was due to a high volume of work being caused. However there were no significant issues that should cause alarm.

Vicky Jenks said there were no plans for a mass communication to be circulated regarding the roll back into legacy schemes. It was felt that doing so would raise a significant number of queries from pension scheme members. However people who were retiring in the near future would be advised of all the options available Sian Marsh said she was aware some pension holders had discussed the issue amongst themselves, and said the clarity of information to be provided was important. Sally Waldron said the Fire and Rescue Service was looking to strengthen its internal communications.

Responding to a question from the Chair, Matthew Mott said retirement cases would be marked as either active or pending. There was a target to complete each case within 15 days. If more information was required then the case would be put on hold, with the number of days being paused, until the information was sourced. Delays were most often caused in cases relating to deaths of pensioners living abroad. The highest number of queries came from cases relating to deferred benefits.

Members noted the contents of the report.