Agenda item

(To receive a report from the Business Development Manager - WYPF, which provides an update on current administration issues for the Fund)

Consideration was given to a report from the Team Manager - Business Relations, West Yorkshire Pension Fund, which provided an update on current administration issues within the Fund.

Members received an update on the following issues:

• Performance and Benchmarking;
• Scheme Information;
• Member and Employer Contact;
• Internal Disputes and Resolution Procedures;
• An Administration Update;
• Current Technical Issues; and
• Shared Service Budget.

It was advised that there was a typing error in section 3.0 of the report, and it should state: Over the quarter July to September we received 2 online customer responses.

The Board was invited to ask questions, to which the following responses were given:

• Annual Benefit Statements and Deferred Benefit Statements for 2018/19 had included new information on pension estimates for each member.  This had led to a reduction in pension estimates enquiries and an increase in deferred pensions being put into payment.

·         All Key performance indicators (KPIs) had been achieved in this quarter.

·         It was requested that the table detailing membership numbers in the Lincolnshire Fund, page 45 refers, be updated to also include the number of new members; and how many of the total number of members were in the 50/50 part of the scheme. 

·         Reference was made to the section of the report concerning Stages 1, 2 and ombudsman appeals against scheme employers and it was agreed that the Board would be emailed an up-to-date position on each of the appeals, as the information contained within the report was for quarter 2, July to September 2019.

·         Work had commenced on giving members the option to commute their 'trivial' pension to a one-off lump sum payment.  Members who had a pension of under £500 per annum had been targeted in the first instance.  230 members fell into this category and an example of the letter sent to members was tabled at the meeting.

·         Reference was made to the McCloud judgement and it was advised that the Local Government Associated had advised that the service history for each member would need to be in place.  It was advised that Lincolnshire was in a good position, as service history was already in place for both part-time and full-time employees.  However, it was noted that work would have to be undertaken on the service histories of casual workers.

·         The cost per member had increased from £15.01 in 2018/19 to an estimated £16.11 for period 6 in 2019/20; however this was to be expected, with West Yorkshire investing in IT during 2019/20 and using the actuary to undertake a review of members' processes in the shared service.  The Board recognised that this was good value for money, compared with other local government pension schemes.

RESOLVED

(1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That future reports to the Board be revised to include: the table detailing membership numbers in the Lincolnshire Fund be updated to also include the number of new members; and how many of the total number of members were in the 50/50 part of the scheme.

(3)  That updated information on the Stages 1, 2 and ombudsman appeals against scheme employers be emailed to the Board.