Employer newsletter and information letters
Focus Newsletter – February 2025
Contents:
Focus Newsletter – December 2024
Contents:
Focus Newsletter – November 2024
Contents:
- Reminder for the Pension Fund’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) – Tuesday 12 November 2024
- Academies Employer Focus Peer Group
- Back dated pay award for Local Government Employees LGPS agreement effective from 1 April 2024 – employees who left before 1 November 2024
- Independent Registered Medical Practitioner (IRMP) panel
- Reminder for Scheme Employer Discretionary Policies
- LGPS Member website – new lump sum tools
- September 2024 Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate announced
Focus Newsletter – September 2024
Contents:
- Save the date Tuesday 12 November 2024 Pension Fund Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- My Pensions Portal (MPP) – Members Annual Benefit Statements (ABS)
- Employer FAQs on backdated pay awards
- New Joiners to the Pension Fund
- SAB Cost Management Process now complete
Focus Newsletter – July 2024
Contents:
- Employer training day – 1 October 2024
- Pensions Awareness 2024 – Scheme member webinar
- Reminder - annual benefit statement – My Pension Portal (MPP)
- Employer driven retirements – pension strain costs
- The Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) Annual Report 2023
- Circulating the Newsletter within your organisation
Focus Newsletter – June 2024
Contents:
- Updates to guides and factsheets
- Gender pensions gap research – call for volunteers
- New LGPS informer document launched for the triennial valuation and accounting/audit purposes
- Annual Benefit Statement – My Pension Portal (MPP)
- Important information for i-Connect users
- LGA Employer role training
- Circulating the Newsletter within your organisation
Focus Newsletter – May 2024
Contents:
- Year end return update - thank you to Scheme employers
- Pension Forms and Documentation
- Promotion of My Pension Portal
- LGPS guidance for Academies
- Circulating the Newsletter within your organisation
Focus Newsletter – April 2024
Contents:
- Local Government Association (LGA) Bulletin 248 Annual Update
- Deadline for Employer’s Year End submissions (except Employers using i-Connect)
- National Pensions Dashboard – Update
- Further legal advice following Sharia Law / LGPS report
- The Pensions Regulator (TPR) – Blog on automatic enrolment
- Women’s State Pension age
- Employer designated pensions contacts
- Circulating the Newsletter within your organisation
Focus Newsletter – March 2024
Contents:
-
Employer’s submission of year end pension data returns reminder
-
Employer Guidance
-
Revised Employer Pension Contributions effective from 1 April 2024
-
LGPS members contribution banding from 1 April 2024
-
Importance of accurate data reminder
-
Casual Workers
-
Local Government Association (LGA) Bulletin 248 Annual Update
-
Save the Date – 12 November 2024 Staffordshire Pension Fund AGM
-
Circulating the Newsletter within your organisation
-
Focus March 2024
Focus Newsletter – February 2024
Contents:
-
Submission of year end pension data
-
Importance of accurate employer data
-
Revised Employer Pension Contribution effective from 1 April 2024
-
LGPS Scheme Members contribution banding for 1 April 2024
-
Circulating the Newsletter within your organisation
-
Focus February 2024
Focus Newsletter – January 2024
Contents:
-
Employers Outsourcing Services Guide and New Admissions to the LGPS
-
My Pensions Portal (MPP)
-
Employer Role Training
-
HM Treasury confirms Lifetime Allowance (LTA) abolition from April 2024
-
New Minister for Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
-
New Pensions Minister
-
Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) report on the LGPS and Sharia Law
-
Circulating the Newsletter within your organisation
-
Focus January 2024
Focus Newsletter- November 2023
Contents:
-
Important - McCloud Remedy
-
Fund’s Annual General Meeting (AGM)
-
Fund’s Cyber Security Strategy
-
September 2023 Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate announced
-
Back dated pay award for Local Government Employees
-
LGPS agreement effective from 1 April 2023 – Members who left before 1 November 2023
-
LGPS statistics for 2022 /2023 published
-
Academy Conversion Guidance
-
Focus November 2023
Focus Newsletter- October 2023
Contents:
-
Are you interested in becoming a representative on the Employer Focus Peer Group (EFPG)?
-
Pension Fund Annual General Meeting (AGM)
-
New Joiners to the Pension Fund
-
Ill Health Retirement – Independent Registered Medical Practitioner (IRMP).
-
Ill Health Retirement bite -size training for Scheme Employers
-
Members Ill Health Guide
-
LGPS Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) – 2022 Scheme Valuation Report
-
Focus October 2023
Focus Newsletter- August 2023
Contents:
-
The Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) Annual Report 2022
-
Reminder Annual Benefit Statements – My Pension Portal (MPP)
-
Pension Early Retirement Costs Invoicing
-
Pension Dashboards delayed until October 2026
-
Focus August 2023
Focus Newsletter- July 2023
Contents:
-
Annual Benefit Statement – My Pension Portal (MPP)
-
Guarantee for Academy Trusts outsourcing arrangements
-
Employer Pensions Discretions Reminder
-
Pensions and Life Savings Association (PLSA)
-
Focus July 2023
Focus Newsletter- May 2023
Contents:
-
Funding Strategy Statement (FSS)
-
Investment Strategy Statement (ISS)
-
McCloud Reminder
-
Pension Early Retirement Costs Increasing
-
Backdated pay awards
-
Members ill health guide
-
Focus May 2023
Focus Newsletter- April 2023
Contents:
-
Local Government Association – Annual update bulletin
-
Actuarial Valuation as at 31 March 2022
-
Employer Year End submissions
-
Government’s Spring Budget (Pensions)
-
Expansion of auto enrolment
-
State Pension Age Review
-
Focus April 2023
Focus Newsletter- March 2023
Contents:
-
Employer’s submission of year end data returns
-
Revised Employer Pension Contributions effective from 1 April 2023
-
LGPS Scheme Members contribution banding from 1 April 2023
-
Employer Role Training
Focus Newsletter- February 2023
Contents:
-
Important Information for Scheme Employers and Payroll Managers
-
Submission of Year End Pension Data Returns
-
Employer Guidance
-
Revised Employer Pension Contributions effective from 1 April 2023
-
LGPS Scheme Members contribution banding from 1 April 2023
-
IMPORTANT - CARE Pay that should include Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP)
Focus Newsletter - January 2023
Contents:
Focus Newsletter - December 2022
Contents:
-
Actuarial Valuation 2022 and the Funding Strategy Statement (FSS) Consultation
-
Fund’s Annual General Meeting (AGM)
-
Fund’s Draft Annual Report and Accounts 2021-2022
-
LGPS Annual Report
-
Focus December 2022
Focus Newsletter - October 2022 Extra
Contents:
Focus Newsletter - October 2022
Contents:
-
Special Edition - Actuarial Valuation 2022 Update.
-
Date for your calendar - 15 November 2022
Staffordshire Pension Fund’s Annual General MeetingFund’s Actuarial Valuation 2022
-
Thank you to Employers
-
Focus October 2022
Focus Newsletter - August 2022
Contents:
-
Annual benefit statement
-
McCloud Reminder
-
State Pension Triple Lock - reinstated
-
Pension Attention campaign
-
Government confirms Academy gaurentee will continue
-
Employer Role
-
Focus August 2022
Focus Newsletter- July 2022
Contents:
-
Ill Health Retirement – Independent Registered Medical Practitioners (IRMP)
-
The Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) – Annual Report 2021
-
Local Pensions Board Representative and an Employer Focus Peer Group Representative – required from our Academies
-
Eligibility to join the Local Government Pension Scheme
Focus Newsletter- June 2022
Contents:
-
Local Pension Board (LPB)
-
Employer Focus Peer Group
-
McCloud – Update
-
Save the date 15 November 2022– Pension Fund Annual General Meeting (AGM)
-
Statutory Guidance on special severance payments
Focus Newsletter- April 2022
Contents:
-
Investments in Russia and Belarus
-
Independent Registered Medical Practitioners (IRMP)
-
Employer Role Training
-
Deadline for Employer’s Year End submissions (except Employers using i-Connect)
-
A Stronger Nudge to Pensions Guidance
-
Local Government Association (LGA) – Bulletin 221 March 2022
-
Relaunch of the Local Government Association (LGA) member website
Focus Newsletter- March 2022
Contents:
-
Limited Pension Fund service from 17.00 on 11 March to 16 March 2022
-
Employer’s submission of year end data returns
-
Revised Employer Pension Contributions effective from 1 April 2022
-
LGPS Scheme Members contribution banding from 1 April 2022
-
Pensions Pledge – Preventing Pensions Scams
-
NJC “Green Book” Local Government Pay Agreement effective from 1 April 2021 – Active Members
-
NJC Local Government Pay Agreement effective from 1 April 2021 – Members who left before 31 March 2022
Focus Newsletter- February 2022
Contents:
-
Important Information for Scheme Employers and Payroll Departments
-
Funds Actuarial Valuation
-
Submission of Year End Pension Data Returns
-
Revised Employer Pension Contributions effective from 1 April 2022
-
LGPS Scheme Members contribution banding from 1 April 2022
-
IMPORTANT - CARE Pay that should include Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP)
-
Coronavirus job retention scheme - Furlough
Focus Newsletter- January 2022 - McCloud Judgement Update
Contents:
-
Background
-
Fund and Employers working in partnership
-
All Employer Data Requests will be issued by 31 January 2022
-
What information has been sent to employers
-
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Further assistance needed
Focus Newsletter- January 2022
Contents:
-
Preparing for the Fund’s April 2022 Actuarial Valuation
-
Annual Employer Returns 2021 - 2022
-
Why is clean and accurate data important?
-
Important – CARE pay that should include Assumed Pensionable Pay (APP)
-
Improving the Ill Health Retirement decision making process
-
Updated Administering Authority Pensions Discretionary Powers
Focus Newsletter- November 2021
Contents:
-
Pension Fund Forum Annual General Meeting
-
Academies - Accounting Briefing Session
-
Vacancies for a Co-opted Employer Representative on the Pensions Committee
-
Vacancies for representatives on the Employer Focus Peer Group
-
McCloud – Data Requirement Update
Focus Newsletter- October 2021
Contents:
-
Pension Forum Annual General Meeting
-
i-Connect – Forms Employers must complete
-
New name for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
-
Potential changes in Auto Enrolment rules
Focus Newsletter- September 2021
Contents:
Focus Newsletter- August 2021
Contents:
Focus Newsletter - July 2021
Contents:
Focus Newsletter - May 2021
Contents:
-
Ill-health guidelines and updated ill health certificates (forms)
-
Schools and academies - re-letting an existing outsourced contract
-
Submitting personal and sensitive employee data to the Fund
-
Important: McCloud judgement - reminder
-
Funding strategy statement (FSS)
Focus Newsletter - April 2021
Contents:
Focus Newsletter - March 2021
Contents:
-
Fund's annual general meeting
-
Employer's submission of year end pension data returns
-
LGPS member contribution banding from 1 April 2021
-
Pension Fund website / forms
-
Local Government Association (LGA) - understanding the employer role - training
-
Pension taxation - lifetime allowance (LTA)
-
£95,000 exit payment no longer in place
Focus Newsletter - February 2021
Contents:
-
Important information for scheme employers and payroll departments
-
Revised employer pension contributions effective from 1 April 2021
-
LGPS members contribution banding from 1 April 2021
-
CARE pay that should include assumed pensionable pay
-
Coronavirus job retention scheme - furlough
Focus Newsletter - January 2021
Contents:
Focus Newsletter - November 2020
Contents:
-
Coronavirus job retention scheme - furlough
-
McCloud webpage
-
The £95,000 exit payment cap - effective from 4 November 2020
-
September 2020 consumer price index
-
LGPS Funds - England and Wales 2019/20
Focus Newsletter - October 2020
Contents:
-
My Pension Portal (MPP) - update
-
The £95,000 exit payment cap - effective from 4 November 2020
-
Local Government Association (LGA) - employer role training
-
McCloud update
-
Government confirms intention to increase minimum pension age
Focus Newsletter - August 2020
Contents:
Focus Newsletter - July 2020
Contents:
-
McCloud - government consultation published
-
My Pension Portal (MPP) - update
-
Employer training workshops
-
Schools and academies - outsourcing staff
-
The Scheme Advisory Board (SAB) - annual report 2019
Focus Newsletter - June 2020
Contents:
-
Thank you to employers
-
My Pension Portal (MPP) - promotional material
-
Covid 19 - pension information
-
Employer pensions discretions
-
Employer data retention policy
Focus Newsletter - May 2020
Contents:
-
Covid-19 update
-
My Pension Portal (MPP) - online annual benefit statement (ABS)
-
Ill-health retirement - obtaining IRMP opinions during the pandemic
-
Death in service guarantees for frontline Covid-19 staff
-
Pension taxation - lifetime allowance (LTA) increased to £1,073,000
Focus Newsletter - April 2020
Contents:
-
Covid-19 information for scheme employers
-
Frequently asked LGPS questions for employers on COVID-19
-
Deadline for employer's submission (except employers using i-Connect)
-
Actuarial valuation as at 31 March 2019
-
Actuarial strain cost for early retirement - new factors from 1 May 2020
-
Employer training
Focus Newsletter - March 2020
Contents:
-
Important information for scheme employers and payroll departments
-
LGPS contribution banding from 1 April 2020
-
CARE pay that should include assumed pensionable pay (APP)
-
Focus March 2020
Focus Newsletter - February 2020
Contents:
-
Monthly contributions process change
-
LGPS member contribution banding for April 2020
-
Fund's website and accessibility
-
Employer guide to automatic / re-enrolment into the LGPS
-
Vacancies for employer representatives on the Pension Committee
-
Focus February 2020
Focus Newsletter - January 2020
Contents:
-
Internal dispute resolution procedure (IDRP) - new guide for employers
-
Pensions made simple - member videos
-
Annual report and accounts
-
Annual benefit statements (ABS) online
-
New employer admissions - important reminder
-
Focus January 2020
Archive
Older newletters are available in the Employer Focus Newsletter Archive.