The Pensions Fund Committee of West Northamptonshire Council is scheduled to meet on 3 June 2025 to discuss several key areas relating to the management and administration of the Northamptonshire Pension Fund. These include updates to the Administering Authority Discretions Policy, progress on connecting to the Pensions Dashboard infrastructure, and a review of the fund's administration performance and risk management. The committee will also consider the forward agenda plan for future meetings.

Pensions Dashboards Update and Data Matching Policy

The committee will receive an update on the progress of the Northamptonshire Pension Fund in connecting to the pensions dashboard infrastructure, with a deadline of 31 October 2025. The report pack states that the fund needs to be able to respond to requests from the public by 31 October 2026.

A draft Pensions Dashboards Programme Matching Policy is scheduled to be discussed. The report pack explains that the policy sets out:

the personal data required to achieve a full match and instant return of value data to the individual’s Dashboard (National Insurance Number, last name and date of birth). In the absence of matching on either the date of birth or last name, the individual’s current postcode will be used to achieve a full match.

The report pack states that if an individual does not match on their national insurance number, they will need to match on at least their date of birth and surname, plus at least two other additional data items to achieve a partial match, such as postcode, email address or mobile phone number.

The report pack notes that the fund continues to work with its Additional Voluntary Contribution (AVC) providers Prudential and Standard Life to ensure members can easily access their details on the dashboard.

Administering Authority Discretions Policy

The committee will be asked to approve updates to the Administering Authority Discretions Policy. West Northamptonshire Council, as administering authority to the Northamptonshire Pension Fund, is required to formulate policy decisions for areas where the Local Government Pension Scheme legislation allows it the exercise of discretion.

The report pack states that the Pension Committee approved a comprehensive Administering Authority Discretions Policy in June 2022 and since this time two Officer reviews have been undertaken.

The report pack lists the following recommended policy changes:

• Updating all references to the new website throughout the policy.
• Updating the Admission Bodies, Scheme Employer and Bulk Transfer Policy to Admissions and Bulk Transfer Policy.
• Including a reference to the Payment of employer and employee pension contribution policy.
• Adding voluntary early retirement to the regulation description as a clarification point.
• Adding extensions permitted under exceptional circumstance to the notice required on a case-by-case basis, delegated to the Operations and Technical Manager.

Administration Report

The committee will receive a report on the administration of the Northamptonshire Pension Fund for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025. The report includes updates on administrative performance, business plan activities, risk monitoring, and admissions and cessations.

According to the report pack, 11 out of 21 key performance indicators (KPIs) were met, with performance improving by the final month of the reporting period, and 100% of employer contributions were received on time.

The report pack states that three business plan activities have a RAG¹ status of amber, with the remaining activities being green. The main contributor to this position is the Fit for the Future consultation and its impact on ACCESS pooling plans.

The report pack notes that three new risks have been added to the fund’s risk register, with the overall risk score increasing from 229 to 248 and the total number of risks increasing from 32 to 35, and that a key risk is the current level of workplace sickness absence within the service.

The report pack also notes that there were no new employers admitted to the fund over the reporting period, that one employer exited the fund, and that there are two updates on previous cessations. The committee will be asked to note the cessation of the admission agreement for Fresh Start Catering Limited related to its contract with Deanshanger Primary School. The committee will also be asked to note the update of the previously reported cessations relating to Weldon Parish Council and Rockingham Forest Trust.

Governance and Compliance Report

The committee will receive a report providing information on issues and developments relevant to West Northamptonshire Council’s management and administration of the Northamptonshire Pension Fund.

The report pack states that the report provides information on the following significant current issues:

• LGPS England and Wales
• McCloud
• Pension Dashboards
• Scheme Advisory Board
• The Pensions Regulator
• Wider landscape
• Skills and knowledge opportunities

The report pack also notes that the report provides details of immaterial amendments made to policies or strategies as a result of Officer reviews.

The report pack states that Michelle Warbis, Deputy Director for the LGPS at MHCLG, confirmed the government’s view of when the provisions of regulation 64A of the LGPS Regulations 2013 should be exercised, stating that:

a review is appropriate in response to changes in an employer’s liabilities, or its ability to meet its obligations. Amending the employer contribution rate mid-valuation cycle is not intended as a way of managing surpluses or deficits.

The report pack also notes that Councillor Roger Phillips, Chair of the Scheme Advisory Board, has written to Torsten Bell, the new Pensions Minister, to welcome him to his role, making three recommendations:

• to provide clarity for the LGPS on the impact of the judgment made in the dismissed appeal of the Virgin Media Ltd v NTL Ltd case in July 2024
• to increase the limit in the Administration of Estates (Small Payments) Act 1965 to allow for more small payments to be made without the need for grant of probate or letters of administration
• to set the timetable for Phase 2 of the Pensions Review.

Northamptonshire Pension Fund Forward Agenda Plan

The committee will be presented with the Northamptonshire Pension Fund Committee Forward Agenda Plan.