Havering Council is closely monitoring the performance of employers in its pension fund against administrative standards outlined in the Scheme Employer PAS Standards to ensure they meet requirements.
The Havering Local Pension Board convened on 15 July 2025, to review the first quarter's performance against the Pensions Administration Strategy (PAS). The PAS, updated in 2024, sets clear guidelines for both scheme employers and the administering authority, aiming to deliver a cost-effective and high-quality pension administration service.
According to the Pensions Administration Strategy Monitoring Q1 report, most employers are meeting the required standards. However, several areas are highlighted in amber where performance is being monitored closely, and an escalation to stage 1 of poor performance under the PAS may be required if improvements are not observed during July and August 2025.
The consequences of escalation can include an email to the relevant employer, advising of the area of concern and offering support to resolve the issue. Fund officers give a deadline for resolution before a stage 2 escalation would be appropriate.
The board also reviewed the performance of Local Pensions Partnership Administration (LPPA) for January to March 2025. The Pensions Administration Update Q4 2024-25 report showed an overall performance of 99.0% against the agreed service levels, exceeding the 95% target. LPPA's Efficiency and Service Improvement Plan is credited with delivering new automated case processing. Examples of this new processing include active and deferred retirement quotes, deferred benefits, and refunds where the members have no pre 2014 service. The number of fully automated cases surpassed 3,000 across the LPPA client base in January 2025.