The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Local Pension Board of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme met on Monday 1 June 2026 to discuss governance and policy updates, administration updates, and risk reviews. The Board noted the contents of the report regarding progress on the governance review action plan, and the contract with West Yorkshire Pension Fund for administration services had been extended.

Governance and Policy Update

The Board received an update on the ongoing governance review, which aims to ensure compliance with the Pension Regulator's General Code of Practice. Alistair Wickens, Technical Specialist for Pensions Fund Policy and Governance, reported that out of 63 identified action points, the majority had been completed, with 21 remaining outstanding. Some of these outstanding actions, rated as red, were dependent on work from the West Yorkshire Pension Fund or were complex to deliver by the original 31 August 2026 deadline. Consequently, the decision was taken to review these outstanding actions at the next governance review in September 2027.

Progress has been made on updating the breaches policy and contribution monitoring. However, potential issues were identified with the knowledge and skills gap analysis, as there appeared to be no sector-specific assessment resource available for this, as required by the code.

Lisa Eglesfield, Pensions Administration Service Manager, provided an update on regulatory changes. The SCAPE discount rate had been updated, impacting actuarial factors used in pension calculations. This meant that members of the 1992 fire pension scheme would receive a smaller lump sum than previously quoted due to a commutation change. While no current retirement cases in Warwickshire were affected, Helen Scargill, Client Relations Manager at West Yorkshire Pension Fund, noted that other pension holders had been affected by these Matthews-related cases. The Chair suggested that the Scheme Advisory Board would explore the possibility of phasing in these factor rate changes.

The Local Government Association had published guidance on local government reorganisation and its potential impact on Fire and Rescue Authorities, leading to the addition of a new risk line on the risk register. While it was considered unlikely to directly affect fire pension scheme members, changes to scheme governance were anticipated, potentially through the creation of a Combined Fire Authority. Pension authorities were encouraged to engage early with administrators. Concerns were raised about the Warwickshire Pension Fund retaining its skills and expertise if regional fire authorities were established by 2028.

A report on pension scheme breaches would be submitted to the Pensions Regulator once figures relating to annual benefit statements were confirmed by the West Yorkshire Pension Fund.

The Scheme Advisory Board had discussed policy matters, including contingent decisions for opt-out cases. Individuals who had opted out of the pension scheme due to age discrimination remedy changes were now permitted to reverse that decision and rejoin. Fire authorities could progress these cases before regulations were formally implemented, though no such cases had been identified in Warwickshire. The Matthews compensation framework and Government Actuary Department updates on SCAPE factor changes were also discussed, with only a small number of cases within the Warwickshire Pension Scheme affected. An LGA survey on governance related to equality, diversity, and inclusion for Pension Board members was noted, and Lisa Eglesfield planned to report back from the LGA annual general meeting.

Risk Review

Lisa Eglesfield reported that the contract with the West Yorkshire Pension Fund for pension administration, originally due to end on 31 March 2027, had been extended to 31 March 2029. Pandemic risk had been removed as a standalone entry and was now covered under business interruption. The risk concerning the lack of capacity or competence to act as an intelligent client and effective scheme manager had been updated to reflect new policies following the governance review. Cybersecurity risks were also updated to reflect work on data asset mapping. Likelihood scores for these risks remained unchanged. Data quality had been incorporated into the risk consequence section due to potential risks associated with data held on the pensions dashboard. A new risk relating to local government reorganisation had been added, although the specific risks were yet to be identified. The authority's stance on the need for change document remained consistent with its initial response to the informal consultation.

Firefighter Pension Scheme Administration Update

Lisa Eglesfield informed the Board that calculations for the second Matthews retained exercise were nearing completion. Three contingent case decisions were being processed by the West Yorkshire Pension Fund. Letters had been sent to 153 individuals regarding an expression of interest, with 112 returned. Reminders had been sent to non-respondents, and their details had been traced. The project deadline for completion is 31 March 2027, and officers were actively seeking ways to encourage further responses. Of the 112 expressions of interest received, most had been provided with requested information, and 43 were identified as potentially requiring recalculation following April 2026 regulation changes. Pension Funds had been advised that there would be no deadline extensions for normal cases. Fire Pension authorities could decline requests made after the 31 March deadline, but would be responsible for providing the requested pension amount and funding an annuity from the Fire Authority's operational budget if they could not prove reasonable endeavours to contact the individual. The Chair noted suggestions for a focused extension for cases reliant on the Government Actuary Department modeller and expressed confidence in Warwickshire Pension Fund's approach.

One age discrimination contingent application related to the purchase of additional service was received, but the individual decided not to proceed.

Regarding key performance indicators, Helen Scargill stated that pension estimates would likely show as a breach due to internal target deadlines. The higher-than-expected number of Matthews cases being handled was now considered a business as usual task, with 344 Matthews payments made in July. Web registration numbers continued to increase slowly. Updates on inheritance tax changes affecting pension death grant payments were noted, and a fact sheet on recent interactions between the West Yorkshire Pension Fund and the Pensions Regulator regarding the pensions dashboard was included. A confirmed go-live date for pensions dashboards had not been set, but the current suggestion was April 2027 for member availability.

The West Yorkshire Pension Fund had completed recruitment for pensions officers for the fire pensions team and the Matthews project team, with recruitment for senior pensions officers ongoing.