The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Local Pension Board of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme met on Monday 28 September 2026 to discuss updates on governance and policy, the administration of the Firefighter Pension Scheme, and a review of risks. The meeting's agenda focused on ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and the efficient management of pension schemes.

Governance and Policy Update

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a governance and policy update, introduced by Alistair Wickens, Technical Specialist Pensions Fund Policy and Governance. This update stemmed from an external review of governance arrangements for firefighter pension schemes, which identified several areas requiring compliance improvements against the Pension Regulator's General Code of Practice. At the time of the report, 28 out of 63 action points had been completed, with 15 rated as on track and 20 rated as amber, indicating potential delays. Some of these amber-rated items were dependent on third-party input.

The report pack indicated that the breaches policy and risk policy had been reviewed in the previous quarter. Updates to the breaches policy were outlined and would require approval from the Staff and Pensions Committee, with comments sought from the Local Pension Board. Revised criteria for identifying and mitigating risks were also presented. The third-party review had also recommended an update to the Firefighter Pension Board's terms of reference, primarily concerning member recruitment and retention, which would necessitate approval from the Full Council. Updates to the member code of conduct were also detailed.

Lisa Eglesfield, Pensions Administration Service Manager, confirmed the dates for the annual Firefighter Pension Conference as 6 and 7 October, with the theme focusing on the future of firefighter pensions. An informal consultation by the LGA on the firefighters' compensation scheme was also discussed, with Warwickshire's response included in the report pack.

Regulatory changes to the second Matthew project, affecting death grants and missed lump sum payments, had taken effect from 1 April, with a project deadline extended to 31 March 2027. The Warwickshire Fund was identifying cases where members could convert standard to special service and death cases, with eight identified and two completed so far. A revised calculator for these changes was expected from the government's actuary department.

The public service pensions increase order for the year was confirmed at 3.8 per cent for pensioner and deferred pensions, while Warwickshire's care pensions had been revalued at 4.8 per cent. Recent announcements from the government actuary's department regarding the SCAPE discount rate update and revised pension commutation factors for the 1992 scheme were also noted. The impact of these changes meant that the monetary value of a lump sum could be up to 5% lower. Helen Scargill, Client Relations Manager at West Yorkshire Pension Fund, explained that pension holders would receive a revised retirement pack with an updated claim form.

A new policy on employee contribution changes was due for implementation following approval at the next Staff and Pensions Committee meeting, with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) intending to use the LGA-suggested policy, which had also been approved by the FBU.

Firefighter Pension Scheme Administration Update

Lisa Eglesfield introduced the update on the Firefighter Pension Schemes administration. The second retained Matthews exercise had a completion deadline of 31 March 2027. The report detailed the number of pension holders identified as being in scope, categorised by pensioner, active, and deferred members. Of those identified, 110 had expressed interest, with calculations completed for 104 and 88 proceeding via administrators. A further three members had requested no further action. The LGA had indicated good progress was being made on the project.

Regarding the age discrimination remedy, the Fund continued to refund active members of the 2006 scheme who had chosen to claim a refund. No members from the 1992 or 2006 modified schemes had yet opted to make a payment of owed contributions.

Helen Scargill provided an update on the West Yorkshire Pension Fund's recruitment of new pensions officers, with a team dedicated to fire pensions and another to Matthews. A new retirement calculation payment process specifically for Matthews was being developed. There were approximately 290 active members who had not received their first Remedial Service Statement (RSS), with only a small number belonging to the Warwickshire scheme. Production of 2025 RSSs was due to close to allow for work on 2026 RSSs. Immediate choice pensioner ill health cases were being prioritised, and bulk recalculations of legacy and reformed benefits were underway.

Risk Review

Lisa Eglesfield reported that the risk register had been updated in two areas. The likelihood score for the inability to keep up with demand was updated to five, aligning with the main Warwickshire Pension Fund risk register, though the residual risk scoring remained unchanged. A new risk control against fraud and corruption was added following the introduction of the Pension Scams Action Group, without affecting the overall risk scoring. The report pack included a risk map illustrating the final risk scores.

The risk register had been updated in several areas, including the removal of Pandemic Risk (now covered under Business Interruption and Inability to meet demand), updates to Lack of capacity or competence to act as intelligent client and effective scheme manager to reflect the governance review against the Pension Regulator code of practice, and updates to Cyber Security regarding data asset mapping. Data Quality was updated to recognise risks around National Pension Dashboard requirements. A new risk, Local Government Reorganisation, was created to acknowledge the potential impact on Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service.