All Public sector pensions articles – Page 13
-
Opinion
Strength in numbers: how your scheme can use the power of collaboration
With hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of members paying in every month, much of the strength of pension schemes as investors is based on the power of economies of scale. But can this effect be compounded further when schemes pool resources?
-
Features
WMPF markets third-party services to neutralise costs
West Midlands Pension Fund plans to market its internal support services to third parties in order to become cost-neutral by offsetting its administration costs.
-
Opinion
Where bribery is smiled upon: Is paying for feedback worth the effort?
Any other business: With market research companies offering incentives such as vouchers, electrical goods and even hard cash to consumers who complete their surveys, it is clear getting feedback on any product or service can be a struggle.
-
Features
Cambridgeshire fund tightens payment reporting ahead of regulatory changes
Cambridgeshire County Council Pension Fund has mandated its largest participating employer to detail member contributions, in order to more effectively monitor late payments to the scheme as new reporting requirements come into play.
-
Features
Tyne and Wear switches PE benchmark to limit relative volatility
Tyne and Wear Pension Fund has switched to using an absolute return benchmark for its private equity investments in a bid to reduce the relative volatility of returns.
-
Features
The Pensions Trust to open doors to private sector DB as employers outsource
The Pensions Trust plans to start accepting private sector employers into the scheme from late October, hoping to attract the growing number of small and medium-sized companies outsourcing the management of defined benefit schemes.
-
Features
Westminster moves towards global equities to free up managers
The City of Westminster Superannuation Fund has decreased its UK equity holdings in favour of global stocks to give managers greater flexibility and boost performance.
-
Features
Scheme managers raise doubts on joint LGPS governance boards
Local authority schemes have raised concerns over whether incoming pensions boards can be combined with their existing section 101 committees, one of the options in the government’s consultation on governance in the Local Government Pension Scheme.
-
News
Civil service employers face increased contributions after discount rate cut
Participating employers of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme will face an increase in their pension costs, due to a reduced discount rate, following government efforts to control public spending.
-
Features
Isle of Wight fund mulls ethical investment policy after council reclaims public health role
Isle of Wight Pension Fund is considering setting its own policy on social, environmental and ethical factors to be considered when making investment decisions, after the council took back responsibility for public health.
-
News10,000 retained firefighters could take up benefits extension, union predicts
The UK’s largest firefighters union has said 10,000 ‘retained’ personnel are expected to take up the option of extended pension benefits, which bring them into line with those offered to their full-time peers.
-
Features
Islington to build on residential property bet in alts push
Islington Council's pension fund plans to reduce its allocation to equities and diversify further into alternatives, in a stated desire to gain greater and more stable returns.
-
Features
SPPA works to curb admin integration risks
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has produced a contingency plan to mitigate against administrative risks, as it combines the service provisions for two other emergency service public sector schemes.
-
News
Local authority schemes welcome government CIVs
Local authority pension schemes have come out in support of proposals to pool local government pension scheme assets into two common investment vehicles.
-
Features
LPFA reports doubling in employers needing covenant review
The London Pensions Fund Authority’s risk-based approach to setting contribution rates has identified around twice the number of employers that may need to provide greater solvency guarantees after its recent valuation.
-
Features
Hampshire funding level jumps after sticking with heavy equity weighting
Hampshire Pension Fund has benefited from keeping its faith in equities, seeing its funding level increase by 8 percentage points over three years as a result of strong investment returns and additional employer contributions.
-
Features
NESPF automates employer data submission to plug gaps
North East Scotland Pension Fund is working towards implementing a fully automated process for employers submitting member data, after narrowly failing to hit all the Pensions Regulator’s targets for common data accuracy.
-
Features
Lancashire increases employer contributions to mitigate maturing membership
Lancashire Pension Fund has added lump-sum payments to its annual employer contributions to make up for reduced cash flow from a declining active membership.
-
Features
NHS scheme moves to improve struggling employer comms
The NHS Pension Scheme will tailor its communication to different employer types to provide them with more support in fulfilling their obligations, after a survey revealed substantial criticism of its approach.
-
News
Isle of Wight bolsters governance ahead of LGPS reform
Isle of Wight Pension Fund has identified areas ripe for improvement in its governance, including more frequent funding monitoring, as local government schemes brace for next year's reforms to the sector.