Agenda item

This paper provides a summary of activity in key areas of pension administration for the Hammersmith and Fulham Pension Fund.

Eleanor Dennis (Head of Pensions) introduced the report which covered a summary of activity in key areas of pension administration for the Council’s Pensions Fund.

John Crowhurst and Jo Darbyshire (LPPA) provided a presentation on the Efficiency and Service Improvement (ESIP) Programme which gave an overview of the following key aspects:

• ESIP focused on 3 clearly defined areas this year including monthly returns, automation and portal enhancements.
• McCloud - All employers were given a deadline of 31^st May 2024 for their final data submission to LPPA.
• Pension Dashboard – Hammersmith & Fulham Pension Fund will need to be connected to the Pensions dashboard ecosystem by 31^st  October 2025. This project was running in parallel with LPPA’s data strategy project.

Councillor Florian Chevoppe-Verdier suggested that the Council’s dedicated digital inclusivity group, which previously reviewed the Council’s services could also provide feedback on the member portal. Their feedback would provide valuable insights and help improve the services.

Councillor Florian Chevoppe-Verdier enquired whether members were informed in advance about the digitalisation of their services, and at what stage they were given the opportunity to opt out of having their services transitioned to a digital platform.

John Crowhurst (LPPA) explained that when the annual benefit statements were issued to members, they would be given the option to receive communications digitally as part of this process.

Peter Parkin (Co-opted Member) echoed Councillor Florian Chevoppe-Verdier’s views and requested further clarity on when members were given the option to opt out or opt in receiving digital communication. John Crowhurst (LPPA) noted that LPPA would investigate and feedback to the Committee.

 Action:

John Crowhurst (LPPA)

Micheal Adam (Co-opted Member) referring to McCloud remedy asked if LPPA had any indication of the financial impact on scheme liabilities and whether it would be significant. Jo Darbyshire (LPPA) noted that she didn’t anticipate the financial impact to be considerable and LPPA was already observing the expected outcomes. As she highlighted that the remedy would not be beneficial for most LGPS members, with varying outcomes across different public sector schemes.

Councillor Florian Chevoppe-Verdier asked if LPPA felt they were sufficiently resourced to manage the implementation of the pension’s dashboard. In response Jo Darbyshire (LPPA) noted that LPPA was about to enter its budget cycle for the 2025/25 financial year. She explained that LPPA was making assumptions based on the available information regarding their resources needs. Additionally, LPPA would be training their contact centre staff to handle dashboard related enquiries.

Councillor Adam Peter Lang noted that the pensions dashboard preparation appeared to be progressing well. He encouraged LPPA to review their internal controls to support the development and ensure that appropriate safeguards were in place. The Committee requested that communications relating to the pension’s dashboard be shared with them.

Action: LPPA

Eleanor Dennis (Head of Pensions) detailed that the Council had launched some pre-retirement courses run by a third-party organisation which received  positive feedback for helping individuals better understand their transition into retirement.

RESOLVED

That the Pension Fund Committee noted the update