The report of the Director, West Yorkshire Pension Fund, (Document “I”) provides an update on West Yorkshire Pension Fund’s pensions administration activities.

Recommended –

That the report be noted.

(Yunus Gajra – 01274 432343

Resolved –

That the report be noted.

ACTION: Director, West Yorkshire Pension Fund

The report of the Director, West Yorkshire Pension Fund, (Document “I”) provided an update on West Yorkshire Pension Fund’s pensions administration activities.

Document I revealed performance against key areas of work for the period 1 April 2019 to 31 August 2019 and that performance had been met or exceeded in the majority of areas.  It was explained that the target for pension estimates had been affected by the high level of requests.  As requests for estimates were made well in advance of retirement more immediate demands had been the focus of attention. 

The difficulty caused by members not advising the fund of changes to their personal details continued to be a challenge particularly for deferred members.  It was hoped that the introduction of the “My Pension” portal would help members to keep their details updated.

The total volume of work in progress, categorised into work groups, was revealed in the report and it was explained that work volumes did fluctuate.. 

Some of the larger volumes of work covered:

·         Current Members – changes to member records, changes to AVC’s, queries from monthly postings

·         Early Leavers – calculation of refunds, calculation of deferred benefits, contribution postings queries

·         Linkings – multiple employments where members could link those employments

·         Retirements -  Retirement quotes and actuals, deferred benefits into payment (quote and actual)

·         Transfers – Transfers in and out (quote and actual), AVC transfers, Divorce

Membership of all schemes administered by WYPF was reported as 422,177 and a full breakdown between the different Funds and Schemes was appended to the report. 

As part of the fund’s commitment to improving services random surveys of customers who had contacted the fund were undertaken and the results of those surveys were also appended to the report.

Appendices also reported feedback from employer training sessions conducted between January to March 2019.

Internal dispute resolution procedure was discussed and the determination of two Pensions Ombudsman cases reported.

A staffing update included in the report revealed sickness absence at the fund compared favourably with that of Bradford Council.  Recruitment and retention was good and a detailed breakdown of the experience of staff was provided.   Staff qualifications were discussed and it was confirmed that staff surveys were conducted by Bradford Council.

Assurances were provided that fund employees were encouraged to progress and progression schemes to encourage them to pursue additional qualifications were in place. 

The utilisation of apprentice schemes was questioned and it was confirmed that the apprentice programme was actively supported.  Apprenticeships in the IT department were discussed and it was confirmed that the suitability of all vacancies arising were considered to ascertain if they would be suitable for an apprentice opportunity.  All apprentices recruited to the fund would receive pension specific training. 

Appraisal schemes were questioned and whilst there was no specific information contained in the report Members were assured that regular appraisals were conducted and details could be provided in a future report.  Staff progression through pay grades was dependant on regular assessment and evaluation. 

Resolved –

That  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15