Agenda item

4.1      Sarah Hay, the Pensions Officer People Services, introduced her report covering the key performance indicators (KPIs) for each month. The Pensions Officer People Services informed Members present that the Hampshire Pension Services (HPS) report indicated 100% compliance with the agreed KPIs each month and the majority of our KPIs required cases to be completed within 15 days, with HPS providing a breakdown for each category, showcasing the number of cases processed in each 5-day block.

4.2      The Pensions Officer People Services was pleased to announce that business as usual work had progressed well, and there were no general concerns. The Committee were informed that at the end of September, there were 182 business-as-usual cases pending action, a number the Pensions Officer People Services was comfortable with in the workflow. The Committee were informed that the positive working relationship with HPS, established since November 2021, led us to schedule meetings with their management on a bimonthly basis from April 2023 onwards, instead of monthly. Despite this change, Members were informed that the Fund would still receive a comprehensive monthly partnership report, and meetings could be arranged if necessary. With the service in a robust position, the Pensions Officer People Services believed time could be more productively spent than in monthly meetings.

4.3      The Pensions Officer People Services informed the Committee there had been steady progress made in clearing the remaining backlog cases, reducing the number from 43 to 22 since the last update to the Pension Fund Committee. The Pensions Officer People Services anticipated this number would further decrease in the upcoming weeks. The Pensions Officer People Services said that clearing these remaining backlog cases had proved challenging, partly due to employers lacking the correct data and sometimes knowledge to provide the Fund with the required information. Additionally, some cases were pending data from other funds for transfers before completing a deferment. Engagements with employers had taken place, and efforts to reach out to other funds had been extended. The Pensions Officer People Services was pleased to inform Members present that there was a total of 455 queries from this year's annual returns, most of which have been resolved. The few remaining queries were primarily linked to one employer, and efforts were underway to address them swiftly, enabling the excellent Annual Benefit Statement (ABS) rates.

4.4      The Pensions Officer People Services informed the Committee that the internal team had attended a couple of events in 2023, organised by the Westminster Women's network to support members in understanding their pensions. The first event was held on the 18th of May 2023, focusing on the Pensions Journey. This was then followed by a subsequent event on the 5th of September 2023, where members gained insights into their annual benefit statements and had their queries addressed on various Local Government Pension Scheme issues. The Pensions Officer People Services expressed hope that as key projects are delivered in the coming months, more personalised support to Fund members across all employers could be given.

4.5      The Committee asked where the backlog had come from, and in reply the Pensions Officer People Services informed Members that it had built up over a number of years during the move from Surrey Pension Services into Hampshire Pension Services.

4.6      The Committee asked the Pensions Officer People Services what more could be done to advertise the pensions portal to Council Officers and other members of the Fund. In reply, Sarah Hay said that it is already widely advertised including featuring in the Employee Benefits Programme and all new starters are emailed information during their onboarding. The Committee noted that there had been positive progress, with a 5% increase in members using the portal.