One in seven trustees doesn't sound like a lot. But when you think that could be one person on every pension scheme board, the proportion starts to feel a bit more tangible.
That is how many trustees feel their relationship with the sponsor needs to be improved, as you'll have seen from our lead story this week.
There is a natural tension between what the trustees of a pension scheme are trying to do and what the sponsor of a pension scheme is trying to do. That much is obvious.
But the new requirement for trustees to take into account the sustainable growth of the sponsoring employer swings the balance of power to the company's side, if it was not there already.
It has been said to me that where the Pensions Act 2004 forced trustee and sponsor apart, recent regulatory developments and the government's funding diktat has pushed them back together.
But I am not sure that proximity means harmony in this case. Trustees that struggled to get their way in funding negotiations in the past face an even steeper hill now.
Illustration by Ben Jennings
Perhaps this is an overly pessimistic suggestion, and it should be admitted that the majority of trustees feel this relationship does not need improvement. Still,half of trustees admit it is challenging.
That is probably how it should be, and that is why Muse's Mark Hodgkinson's suggestion of a regular talking shop is compelling, as is Capital Cranfield's Jonathan Reynolds' suggestion of joint training.
The main stakeholders sitting down regularly to talk things through, even undergoing training together, could create an environment that is conducive to a positive discussion.
But there will still be impasses, and conflict is not necessarily a bad thing, if those on each side of the argument can see where others are coming from.
The jury is out on the impact of the latest funding objective. We'll be keen to see how it materially affects this very necessary tug of war.
Ian Smith is editor of Pensions Expert. You can follow him on Twitter @iankmsmith and the team @pensions_expert.
