The Pensions Committee of Worcestershire Council met on Tuesday 1 September 2026 to discuss proposed changes to the council's scheme of delegations concerning its representation on LGPS Central's governance bodies. The meeting's agenda also included standard procedural items such as apologies, declarations of interest, public participation, and the confirmation of previous minutes.

LGPS Central Representative Delegations

A key item scheduled for discussion was the proposed update to the council's Scheme of Delegations, which would reflect LGPS Central's revised governance framework. This framework, established under the Pension Schemes Act 2026^[1], aims to separate shareholder governance from client oversight of the investment pool.

The report pack indicated that the Chief Financial Officer recommended that Full Council be asked to approve specific delegations. These included appointing the Chair of the Pensions Committee, Councillor Seb James, as the council's nominated representative on the LGPS Central Oversight Board, with the Vice-Chair, Councillor Louis Stephen, acting as substitute. Additionally, the Section 151 Officer was proposed as the nominated representative on the LGPS Central Shareholder Engagement Forum until the appointment of a statutory Senior LGPS Officer. Responsibility for acting as the council's Shareholder Representative would then transfer to the Senior LGPS Officer, with the Section 151 Officer and the Chair of the Pensions Committee serving as substitutes if necessary.

The report explained that Worcestershire County Council acts as the Administrating Authority for the Worcestershire Pension Fund, and its pooling company is LGPS Central. The proposed amendments were intended to ensure compliance with the Pension Schemes Act 2026, provide clarity on the distinct governance responsibilities of the Shareholder Engagement Forum and the Oversight Board, align constitutional delegations with the statutory role of the Senior LGPS Officer, and ensure continuity of representation.

The Shareholder Engagement Forum is described as a formal governance body where Partner Funds, in their capacity as shareholders of LGPS Central, engage on ownership and strategic matters. The Oversight Board, conversely, is a formal governance body comprising one representative from each Partner Fund to provide strategic oversight of LGPS Central's investment management services. The report highlighted that these proposed delegations would strengthen the council's governance by clearly separating officer and member responsibilities, aligning shareholder functions with statutory responsibilities, ensuring elected member oversight of investment activities, and providing substitute arrangements.

If recommended by the committee, a council paper was scheduled to be submitted to Full Council on 10 September 2026 for approval, after which the council's Constitution and Scheme of Delegations would be updated, and LGPS Central would be notified of the appointments.