Focus October 2025
Downloadable version
A downloadable version of this newsletter is available below.
Our next Scheme employer training event will take place on Monday 20th October 2025.
The session will cover the topic of the Pensions Administration Strategy and the roles and responsibilities, including performance standards, of both the Scheme employer and the Fund. This will be delivered via Microsoft Teams on Monday 20 October 2025, 10:00am to 12:00pm
If you wish to attend the training, please complete the booking form below:
Action for scheme employers
If you have a colleague who you think woul dlike to attend the training session, please feel free to forward this invitation.
As announced in the September edition of the newsletter, Staffordshire Pension Fund will be holding a valuation update session specifically for our Academy employers on Wednesday 12 November 2025, commencing at 10:00am and concluding at 11:30am. The meeting to be held on Microsoft Teams.
The Fund’s Actuary Hymans Robertson will be in attendance to deliver a presentation which will include the following:
This is a great opportunity for Academies to engage with the Fund, understand your contribution rates and ask the Actuary any questions you may have.
A formal invitation was issued to designated academy contacts on 9 October 2025. If you have not received the invite but would like to attend, please email Adam Bunn, Senior Pensions Team Leader – Employer Team, who will arrange for the Microsoft Teams link to be sent to you:
Action for academies
If you have a colleague who you think would like to attend, please feel free to forward this invitation.
Date: Tuesday, October 21 2025
Time: 2:30pm to 3:15pm (45 minutes)
Venue: Online
You are invited by our Fund Actuary Hymans Robertson to join their webinar on 21 October 2025, designed specifically for LGPS Scheme employers to navigate and interpret their accounting results for 2024/25 year end accounting.
This webinar will provide important context to the results and the audit background for this year.
Accounting experts will cover a range of topics to help support Scheme employers understand the results, explain them to other stakeholders and aid with audits. This includes:
You can register your place by clicking below:
Action for scheme employers
Please share details of the webinar with your collegues.
Don't worry if you're unable to join live. Register anyway and you'll be able to watch on-demand at a time more convenient for you.
Along with all the other Fund’s participating Scheme employers, you are invited to attend our Fund’s AGM on Tuesday 11 November 2025. This event will be held on Microsoft Teams, commencing at 2.00pm and concluding around 4.00pm.
As well as presenting the Fund’s Annual Report and Accounts, an update on the administration and investment of the Fund will form part of the agenda together with time for the Fund Actuary to speak to you about the challenges facing the LGPS and the wider pensions industry which may impact you or your organisation.
We would be delighted for as many representatives as possible from the Fund’s participating Scheme employers to join the meeting, so please forward this information to anyone else that you think might be interested.
If you would like to attend, please register your interest via the link below:
Action for scheme employers
Please share details of the pension fund's AGM with your colleagues, especially those in finance.
On Monday 15 September 2025, Staffordshire Pension Fund delivered a webinar for its Scheme members to help boost engagement and
understanding as part of the national pensions awareness week.
Copies of the presentation slides and the Q&A transcript are available to view on our website:
https://www.staffspf.org.uk/Members/Active-Members/Latest-News/Latest-News.aspx
A link to the recording can be found below. Please note this will expire on 14 December 2025:
Action for scheme employers
Consider whether you wish to share information with your employees.
As publicised in the September edition of the newsletter, our online My Pension Portal (MPP) will change to a new and improved platform on Monday 3 November 2025.
The updated portal will offer a more modern, user-friendly experience, enhanced security, and easier access to information on their pension for Scheme members.
Communications will be issued to existing registered users ahead of the migration to make them aware of the changes. We will then follow up with further communication once the new portal goes live.
Whilst the new portal will still be accessed via the Staffordshire Pension Fund website, when first logging into the new platform, Scheme members will be required to follow a quick registration process to reset their password. A registration tutorial video will be available on the login page for assistance accessing the new portal.
We will be in contact with Scheme employers again shortly with resources/materials to help us promote the changes to Scheme members.
Action for scheme employers
Please share information on the new portal with staff through your various internal communications channels.
At the meeting of 26 September 2025, the Pensions Committee approved updates to a number of the Fund’s policy documents. These include:
Copies of the updated documents can be found on the Staffordshire Pension Fund website.
Action for scheme employers
Please share this information with your colleagues. If you have any questions regarding the documents, please contact the fund.
To ensure that the Fund and Scheme employers are able to work together closely and in partnership, it is important to keep us updated with any changes to staff responsible for sending and signing off pensions data and who we can contact with any queries (authorised contacts). Key employer contacts include:
We would also appreciate it if you could provide a generic payroll contact email address that can be used by the Fund for forwarding any queries regarding a Scheme member’s pensionable pay.
If you believe your organisation’s contact details are incomplete or out of date, please complete the employer contact details template form. The form can be downloaded from the Employers’ area of our website.
Please note, you will need a username and password in order to access the forms and documents. If you have not previously registered, you should contact pensions.employers@staffordshire.gov.uk to request access.
Action for scheme employers
Keep under review and update the contacts for your organisation.
If you have not done so already, please provide a generic email contact for you oranisation's payroll provider.
We would be grateful if you could continue to circulate this newsletter to appropriate colleagues in your organisation for example, Human Resources, Payroll and Finance Department or alternatively provide us with their email address, so we can add them to our distribution list.
If you require any further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to email the Fund at pensions.comms@staffordshire.gov.uk