The Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Local Pension Board of the Firefighters' Pension Scheme met on Monday 3 November 2025 to discuss updates on pension administration, governance, and risk management. Key decisions included noting the progress on the age discrimination remedy and the Matthews retained exercise, and reviewing the board's forward plan and annual report.

Governance and Policy Update

Alistair Wickens, Technical Specialist for Pensions Fund Policy and Governance, presented an update on the governance review for the Firefighters' Pension Schemes. The board was informed that an action plan has been created to ensure 100% compliance with the Pension Regulator's Code of Practice by 31 August 2026, with 63 actions identified. Currently, all actions are rated green, indicating the project is in its implementation phase. The areas with the highest number of actions are Scheme Administration, Board Structure and Activities, and Risk Management. The first policy to be developed will be the Recruitment and Retention Policy.

Updates were also provided on regulatory matters, including the Pension Dashboards initiative, with the connection date for firefighter pension schemes set for 31 October 2025. The Firefighter Pension Scheme AGM was held in September, providing updates on cybersecurity, the Pension Regulator's Code of Practice, and Pension Dashboards. The Local Government Association has launched training sessions for Local Pension Board members, with dates available in January 2026 and December 2025 for refresher training.

Firefighter Pension Administration Update

Lisa Eglesfield, Pensions Administration Service Manager, provided an update on the administration of the Firefighter Pension Schemes. For the second Matthews retained exercise, 155 individuals were identified as being in scope, with 93 expressing interest. Calculations and further information have been sent to 69 members, and 51 have made a positive election to proceed. The work is being prioritised according to advice from the Local Government Association, with pensioners being processed first, followed by deferred and then active members. HM Treasury funding is available for pensioner payments, meaning there is no cost to the Authority.

Regarding the age discrimination remedy, 87% of active members in scope had received their 2024 benefit statements by 30 September 2025. Active members with the 2006 scheme as their legacy scheme can claim a refund of contributions, with payments beginning. Active members with the 1992 and 2006 modified schemes as their legacy schemes will owe money to the Fund if they wish for the affected period to be classed as their legacy scheme. Deferred members are expected to receive their 2024 remedial service statements during September and October, with 2025 statements due by February 2026.

Helen Scargill, Client Relations Manager at West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF), highlighted that targets were not being met for deferred benefits and pension estimates due to high volumes of requests, partly due to the age discrimination remedy work. However, it was expected that a backlog would be cleared. WYPF is in the process of connecting fire pension schemes to the pensions dashboard.

Risk Review

Lisa Eglesfield reported that the risk scoring for pandemic had reduced from three to two. The only remaining red risk related to cybersecurity. The risk register is reviewed quarterly, with mitigating actions considered for relevance. Risks are logged against either Warwickshire County Council or West Yorkshire Pension Fund. The risk register forms part of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) full governance review.

Forward Plan

The Board considered the Forward Plan, which outlines items for future meetings. Upcoming topics include the Terms of Reference, Abatement Policy, and the Chair's Report for the next meeting. Training opportunities for Board members were also highlighted, with encouragement to complete the Pensions Regulator's toolkit training.

Fire and Rescue Pension Board Chair's Annual Report

Martin Reohorn, Chair of the Board, presented the Annual Report for 2024/2025. The report detailed the Board's membership, meeting format, and training activities. Overall attendance at the four meetings was 60%. The report highlighted the Board's activity in overseeing the overhaul of governance arrangements, including policy reviews and training for members. Key issues discussed included the Age Discrimination Remedy (Sargeant/McCloud) and the Second Modified Exercise (Matthews). The Board expressed satisfaction that the Council was undertaking an external assessment of compliance with the new Pensions Regulator's Code, placing it ahead of other fire sector organisations.