The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Local Pension Board of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme met on Monday 1 June 2026 to discuss updates on governance and policy, administration of the Firefighter Pension Schemes, and a review of risks. The meeting also covered the minutes of the previous meeting.

Governance and Policy Update

The Board was scheduled to receive an update on governance and policy matters affecting the Firefighter Pension Schemes. This included progress on an action plan to ensure compliance with the Pension Regulator's General Code of Practice, with a target completion date of 31 August 2026. Of the 63 identified areas for action, 20 were marked as amber, indicating potential workload pressures from third parties could impact deadlines. The report pack included a draft recruitment and retention policy and proposed updates to the Local Pension Board's Terms of Reference, which would require approval from Warwickshire County Council. A revised risk policy was also to be presented, detailing how evidence would be gathered to ensure mitigating actions were effective.

Updates on regulatory matters were also on the agenda, including information about the Annual Firefighter Pension Conference scheduled for 6-7 October 2026, which would focus on the future of firefighter pensions. An informal consultation on the Firefighters Compensation Scheme, focusing on areas such as the changing role of firefighters, modernisation of the scheme, calculation methodologies, governance, and funding arrangements, was also to be discussed, with Warwickshire's responses included in the report pack. Amendments to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme for Retained Firefighters, which came into effect on 1 April 2026, were to be noted, along with the confirmation of annual revaluation, earnings, and pensions increase rates from HM Treasury. The availability of Local Pension Board training sessions, both new and refresher courses, was also to be highlighted. The Board was also to review the updated Forward Plan, outlining items for discussion over the next 12 months.

Firefighter Pension Schemes Administration Update

The meeting was scheduled to receive an update on the administration of the Firefighter Pension Schemes, with a report from West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF), the service provider since 1 April 2022. The report for April 2026 indicated that WYPF had achieved 100% in all key performance indicator measures.

A significant item was the second retained exercise, following the Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2006 (England) (Amendment) Order 2023, which allows retained firefighters to buy back pension service. The report detailed the number of identified cases, expressions of interest received, calculations sent, and positive elections to purchase service, with options for lump sum or periodic payments. The report also noted that 8 deceased members had been identified within this exercise, with two death payments made. The administration service was awaiting an updated calculator from the Government Actuary Department (GAD) to progress amendments related to death benefits and the conversion of standard to special service. The national deadline for this project was 31 March 2027, and the service provider was confident of completion.

Regarding the age discrimination remedy, the report indicated that refunds were being processed for active members of the 2006 scheme who had received their Annual Benefit Statement and opted for a refund. No members of the 1992 or 2006 modified scheme had chosen to pay owed contributions following the issuing of their statements. The report also mentioned the creation of an Oversight Board to work with clients and scheme managers on priorities for individual Fire and Rescue Services. Key performance indicators from the client report were to be reviewed, with targets not being met for deferred benefits and pension estimates, although the Oversight Board was expected to address this backlog. The confirmation of the service provider for the pensions dashboard and the process of connecting fire pension schemes to it was also to be discussed. HMRC had been informed of unauthorised lump sum tax charge payments, and an event report informing HMRC of pension savings statement recipients was still to be completed. Financial data for pensioners and deferred cases was being transferred following a change in the operating model by WYPF. The report also noted that Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service had identified a greater number of firefighters potentially retiring in the next 12 to 18 months than initially anticipated, and pre-retirement course dates were to be shared with members.

Risk Review

The Board was scheduled to review the risk register for the administration of the Firefighters' Pension Schemes. Risks were identified and allocated to either Warwickshire County Council as the Scheme Manager or West Yorkshire Pension Fund as the third-party administrator. The risk register was reviewed quarterly by senior officers, with updates to risk scores, causes, and controls. Two specific updates were noted: Risk 2, Inability to keep up with demand, had its inherent risk score updated to 15, while the residual risk score remained unchanged. Risk 7, Fraud and Corruption, had been updated to reflect the Pension Scams Action Group, a multi-agency group providing tools and guidance to address pension scams. A risk map was to be presented to illustrate the final risk scores.

The report also detailed specific risks, including those related to pandemics, climate-related disasters, and industrial action, and the controls in place to mitigate them. Risks associated with the inability to recruit or retain skilled staff, the complexity of new regulations, and increasing customer expectations were also to be discussed. The report highlighted the importance of succession planning, data quality reviews, and maintaining strong working relationships with providers and stakeholders. Cyber security risks, including inadequate system security, staff training, and vigilance, were also to be addressed, with a focus on a bespoke scheme cyber security policy and disaster recovery plans. Data quality was identified as a significant risk, with potential consequences including incorrect benefit payments, breaches of law, and reputational damage. Controls such as staff training, performance monitoring, and reconciliation of data were to be discussed. The report also touched upon the McCloud/Sargeant impact and the readiness for the pensions dashboard, noting that WYPF had purchased the necessary software and was in the queue to connect.

General Business

The meeting was scheduled to begin with the consideration of apologies for absence and any declarations of interest from Board members. The public minutes of the previous meeting, held on 9 February 2026, were to be approved. The Board was also to consider any other business raised.