The Staff and Pensions Committee of Warwickshire Council met on Monday 9 March 2026 to discuss the Warwickshire Pension Fund's Business Plan for 2026/27, review the progress of the Our People Strategy, and receive updates on pension administration, governance, and regulatory matters. The committee also reviewed minutes from the Fire Local Pension Board and considered employers joining and leaving the pension fund.

Business Plan 2026/27

The committee was scheduled to consider and approve the Warwickshire Pension Fund Business Plan for 2026/27. This plan outlines the fund's objectives, strategic priorities, and an action plan for achieving them. It includes a three-year outlook for key activities and introduces new performance measures for governance. The plan aims to guide the fund's operations and inform stakeholders about its future activities in delivering the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Warwickshire. The report highlighted the growing scale and complexity of the fund, alongside increasing governance requirements and significant change activity.

Our People Strategy Priorities 2026/2027

The committee was asked to endorse the proposed delivery priorities for the Our People Strategy for 2026/2027. This strategy, due for renewal, focuses on making Warwickshire a great place to work, attracting and retaining diverse and talented individuals. Key priorities for 2026/2027 include strategic workforce planning, enhancing the employee offer, talent acquisition and development, leadership development, fostering a positive culture, and maintaining high performance standards. The report detailed achievements from 2025/2026, such as embedding the Workforce Services structure, updating workforce dashboards, and refreshing leadership development programmes.

Pension Administration Activity and Performance Update

This report provided an update on the key developments affecting pensions administration and the performance of the Pensions Administration Service (PAS) over the previous quarter. It detailed the uptake of the Engage self-service portal, showing increases in active, deferred, and pensioner member engagement. The report also presented Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for pensions administration, with 12 out of 16 KPIs meeting the 95% target. Updates were provided on pensioner payroll KPIs, workload management, and any recorded breaches. The report also noted progress on the Pensions Dashboard Programme, with a focus on data quality and matching criteria.

Pension Fund Governance Action Plan

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the delivery of actions identified in the review of the fund's governance arrangements, conducted by AON, and additional activities related to the pending Pension Schemes Bill. The plan originally comprised 93 actions, with a further 18 added concerning LGPS fund governance and pooling. The report detailed the RAG status of these actions, indicating progress made and highlighting areas requiring further attention, such as the approval of Terms of Reference for a single LGPS pension fund committee and the creation of a Senior LGPS Officer position.

Pension Fund Regulatory and Policy Report

This report aimed to update the committee on the latest reviews of Pension Fund Policies over the last quarter and provide a regulatory update on the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). It included information on the audited Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25, which had been published. Regulatory updates covered the confirmed employee contribution bands for 2026/27, the National LGPS Framework for consultancy services, published minutes from the Local Government Pensions Committee (LGPC), and the launch of a new Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) website. The report also referenced the LGPC's response to the Access and Protections consultation and the anticipated changes from the Pension Schemes Bill.

Review the Minutes of the Fire Local Pension Board

The committee was asked to consider and comment on the minutes of the meeting of the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Local Pension Board held on 3 November 2025. Key points from the minutes included updates on the Age Discrimination Remedy (McCloud) and the Second Modified Retained Exercise (Matthews), detailing progress on processing statements, refunds, and purchases of pension service. The report also covered the General Code of Practice review, noting Warwickshire's advanced position nationally in its review work. Financial implications related to these exercises were also outlined.

Employers Joining and Leaving the Pension Fund

This report detailed applications from employers wishing to join or leave the Pension Fund. It noted that the Pension Fund currently administers the LGPS for 258 employers, including scheduled bodies, academies, and admitted bodies. The report outlined the criteria for accepting new employers, particularly academies and bodies providing public services under contract. The recommendation was for the committee to delegate authority to the Executive Director for Resources to approve applications that meet the specified criteria. The appendix listed new academies and employers proposed to join, as well as those ceasing membership, with some applications noted as in progress .