The Wiltshire Pension Fund Committee met on Thursday 30 July 2026 to discuss a range of important matters concerning the management and future direction of the pension fund. Key topics included updates on the fund's financial health, investment performance, and the implementation of new governance requirements. The committee was also scheduled to review and approve several key policies and statements.

Membership and Previous Minutes

The meeting began with the usual formalities of receiving apologies, noting any substitutions, and confirming the membership of the committee. Following this, the public minutes from the previous meeting held on 18 June 2026 were presented for approval. Declarations of interest were also received, and any announcements from the Chair were noted.

Review of Actions and Local Pension Board Minutes

Progress on actions arising from previous meetings was reviewed. The committee also received and reviewed the minutes from the Local Pension Board meeting held on 4 June 2026, including a summary of the recommendations made by the Board.

Public Participation

Provisions were in place for public participation, allowing members of the public and the council to submit statements and questions in accordance with the council's constitution.

Training Update

An update on the Committee Training Plan was provided by the Investment and Accounting Team Lead, Chris Moore. This report detailed the latest developments in the committee's training plan, likely focusing on ensuring members have the necessary knowledge and understanding to fulfil their roles effectively, particularly in light of evolving LGPS governance guidance.

Headlines and Monitoring (HAM) Report

A comprehensive report was presented for the committee's ongoing oversight of several critical areas:

• Scheme, Regulatory, Legal and Fund Update: This section would have provided information on any changes to LGPS regulations, legal matters affecting the fund, and general updates on the fund's operations.
• Health Check Dashboard To 30 June 2026: This dashboard would have offered a snapshot of the fund's performance against its business plan objectives, likely covering areas such as service delivery KPIs, investment performance, funding levels, customer service, internal audit ratings, cost per member, and staff engagement.
• Administration KPI update including an update of the KPI Improvement Plan: This would have detailed the performance of the pension administration function against key performance indicators, including progress on the plan to improve these metrics.
• Risk Register: The committee would have reviewed the fund's risk register, likely highlighting any significant risks, their potential impact, and the controls in place to manage them.
• Key Financial Controls highlights including budget monitoring: This would have provided an overview of the fund's financial controls and a review of expenditure against the approved budget.
• Audit update SWAP KC actions: This would have detailed the progress on actions arising from internal audits conducted by SWAP (South West Audit Partnership), focusing on key financial controls.

The Pensions Regulator Breaches of Law Report

The Pension Administration Lead was scheduled to present a report on breaches of the law, as recommended by the Local Pension Board. This report would have detailed any instances where the fund or its administrators may have fallen short of legal requirements, and the actions taken in response.

Communications Strategy

The interim Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Lead was set to present the updated Communications Strategy for approval. This strategy would outline how the fund communicates with its members, employers, and other stakeholders, likely reflecting the requirements of the Pensions Regulator's General Code of Practice.

Discretions Policy

The Pension Administration Lead was scheduled to present the new Discretions Policy for approval. This policy would detail how the fund exercises its discretionary powers under the LGPS Regulations, outlining the approach to various decision-making areas.

Cyber Policy

Katy Hutchinson was due to present the updated Cyber Policy for approval. This policy would outline the fund's approach to managing cyber risks, protecting member data, and ensuring operational resilience in the face of cyber threats, in line with The Pensions Regulator's General Code of Practice.

Governance Compliance Statement

Lucy Byrne was scheduled to present the updated Governance Compliance Statement for approval. This statement, required under Regulation 55 of the LGPS Regulations 2013, would detail the fund's compliance with governance requirements.

Annual Report & Accounts

The Investment and Accounting Team Lead was to present the draft statement of accounts and annual report. This would include an assessment of going concern and an update on the external audit.

Fit for the Future Requirements - Independent Person

The Investment and Accounting Team Lead was scheduled to present a proposal for appointing an independent person. This role is a new requirement under the government's pension reforms, intended to provide independent expertise and challenge to the committee.

Fit for the Future Requirements - Senior LGPS Officer

Lucy Byrne was to provide a verbal update on the appointment of the senior LGPS Officer. This is another key role mandated by the Fit for the Future reforms, responsible for overseeing the fund's operations.

Committee Forward Work Plan

The committee was to review its forward work plan, outlining the topics and priorities for future meetings.

Date of Next Meeting

The dates for the next two committee meetings were to be determined: an investment-focused meeting on 24 September 2026 and an administration-focused meeting on 29 October 2026.

Urgent Items and Exclusion of the Public

Any other urgent items of business were to be considered. The committee would also consider passing a resolution to exclude the public from the meeting for specific agenda items (Items 22-25) where the disclosure of exempt information was likely.

Part II Items (Exempt Business)

The agenda included several items scheduled for consideration with the public excluded:

• Part II Minutes of Previous Meeting: Approval of the private minutes from the previous meeting.
• Local Pension Board minutes (Part II): Receiving the confidential minutes of the Local Pension Board meeting.
• Pooling update: A verbal update from the Investment and Accounting Team Lead concerning the transition to LGPS Central.
• An update on future considerations : An update by the Head of Wiltshire Pension Fund concerning potential future models for the fund.