The Hertfordshire Fire Pension Board met to elect a new chair and vice-chair, review the Fire Pension Scheme risk register, discuss performance reports from the Local Pensions Partnership Administration (LPPA), and receive updates on age discrimination remedies and options for retained firefighters. Councillor Peter Hill was elected as the new chair, and John Boulter was elected as the vice-chair.

Election of Chair and Vice-Chair

Councillor Peter Hill was elected as the Chairman for the upcoming year, and John Boulter was elected as Vice Chairman. Both positions rotate annually between Member Representatives and Employer Representatives.

Hertfordshire Fire Pension Scheme Risk Register Report

The board reviewed the risk register report for October to December 2024. Alison Sharpe, Lead Pensions Governance Officer, reported that there were no changes to the risk ratings during this period, and officers believed the ratings remained adequate. Work continues with LPPA on the pensions dashboard project, including documenting business requirements and creating a dedicated page on the LPPA website. The fund's risk policy is being reviewed with assistance from Barnett-Waddingham, and the updated policy will be presented to the next pension committee for approval.

Hertfordshire Fire Q2 & Q3 LPPA Performance Report

Chris Batts and Jenny Gregory from LPPA presented the Quarter 2 and Quarter 3 performance report. Jenny Gregory was unable to attend the meeting. Key points from the report:

• Q2 performance was 97.3% against service levels, and Q3 performance was 98.3%.
• Missed service levels were related to retirement and McLeod cases.
• Complaint levels remained low, with one complaint in each quarter.
• Contact centre wait times were within targets, averaging 1 minute 53 seconds for Q2 and 2 minutes 28 seconds for Q3.
• Satisfaction survey response rates were low, despite incentives.
• A complaints board has been formed within LPPA to identify trends and implement preventative actions.
• The Pensions Dashboard project is on track for connectivity by October.

Councillor Peter Hill raised concerns about the low response rates to satisfaction surveys. He asked how extensive the survey questions were. Chris Batts said he would provide details on the survey's length and content. Councillor John Boulter suggested call handlers should be prompted to encourage callers to participate in the survey. Richard Short expressed disappointment at the low response rates and suggested exploring alternative feedback methods, such as postal surveys. Chris Batts mentioned that email surveys are already used for retirements and that digital platforms could offer new survey opportunities in the future.

Councillor John Boulter asked about the Q4 report, and Alison Sharpe clarified that it would be shared after it had been presented to the Pensions Committee. Councillor Peter Hill expressed concern over the delay in the board receiving the reports and suggested finding ways to keep the board better informed.

Report on Age Discrimination and Remedy

Rachel Wilson, Senior HR Officer, provided an update on the age discrimination remedy, including the retrospective remedy. For active retirements, 18 out of 23 cases have been paid, with 5 pending payment. One member's case is also affected by Matthews, which needs to be addressed first. All data has been supplied to LPPA and other brigades.

Three contingent decisions have been approved, but guidance from the LGA has been temporarily removed. Data is being collated in the background, and statements will be issued once the guidance is reinstated.

Regarding contribution adjustments, 59 refund requests and one payment request have been received. All but one have been processed.

The statutory deadline to issue remedial service statements to pensioner members was 31 March. 128 statements were issued, but 47 were not. An extension was applied for 17 members, while the remaining 30 were classified as a breach due to a systems error. The main reasons for the delays were data issues, problems with scheme pays, and deceased members needing manual processing. The scheme manager determined that the breach was not reportable because it was not due to poor governance or decision-making, and a plan is in place to rectify the issues.

Members who did not receive their statements were notified of the delay.

Councillor Peter Hill asked what happens to members who do not receive their statements. Rachel Wilson explained that they cannot make informed decisions about their benefits until they receive the statements. Councillor John Boulter was fairly relaxed around the non-declaration of the breach .

Report on Second Options Exercise for Retained Firefighters

Rachel Wilson also presented an update on the second options exercise for retained firefighters. The council has been trying to trace members they were unable to contact, using a tracing company. Despite these efforts, 19 members remain untraced. Reminder letters were sent in January to those who had not responded, but many members still have not replied.

142 expression of interest forms have been received, and nearly all quotes have been issued. 97 positive elections have been received so far. Under current regulations, 20 members who were sent quotes but did not respond by 30 March are now out of time. However, new legislation may provide an additional 12 months to respond.

Payments have been made to deferred and active members, while pensioner members are being processed by LPPA. There is an issue with updating the interest on the quotes, which can only be done once the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) releases the interest file. This limits the number of cases that can be processed each month.

The LGA is receiving quarterly reports on the figures. New legislation is expected to introduce new cohorts of members eligible for Matthews, but details are still awaited.

Dates of Future Meetings

The board noted the dates of future meetings: 16 October 2025 and 24 April 2026, both at 10 a.m.