The Newham Pension Fund is facing scrutiny over a high rate of upheld complaints, with five out of six resolved complaints in December 2025 and January 2026 being upheld. These upheld complaints were primarily attributed to processing delays.

During a Newham Pensions Board meeting on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, the board reviewed figures highlighting these concerns as part of an update on Local Pension Partnership Administration (LPPA) performance. While overall operational casework performance met Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the quarter October–December 2025, and the contact centre's average call wait time was below target, the complaint resolution figures indicate a significant area requiring improvement.

Two individuals engaged in a discussion during a meeting.
Two individuals engaged in a discussion during a meeting.

In total, seven complaints were received by the Newham Pension Fund during December 2025 and January 2026, with five resolved in December and two in January. The reasons cited for the upheld complaints included delays in processing leaver notifications and paying benefits, as well as delays in processing transfers and providing pension options. Issues with incorrect transfer data being quoted also contributed to the problem.

To address these processing delays, the LPPA has implemented several measures. A new online leaver notification form has been launched to streamline employer submissions, and real-time pay checks are now in place to reduce delays. The active retirement process has been automated, significantly reducing the turnaround time from 33 to 6 days. For retirement notifications, LPPA requires at least 30 days' notice to ensure the first payment is made within 30 days of the retirement date. When there are no delays, the typical timeframe for processing leaver notifications and benefit payments is that 100% of retirements are notified on time and paid within 30 days.

Bar chart showing the quarterly SLA performance of completed cases from January 2025 to December 2025, with a target of 95%. The performance consistently exceeded the target, with the quarterly SLA performance highlighted as 98.7%.
Bar chart showing the quarterly SLA performance of completed cases from January 2025 to December 2025, with a target of 95%. The performance consistently exceeded the target, with the quarterly SLA performance highlighted as 98.7%.

Ongoing communication with employers and members is underway to encourage earlier notification, and employer newsletters and potential forums are being suggested for best-practice sharing. A new Leaver Form was launched in December to simplify the process for employers submitting leaver details.

Additionally, one breach was reported in January 2026 due to human error. Following an investigation, LPPA concluded this to be an isolated incident where appropriate steps were not taken upon receiving a death notification. Therefore, it was not classified as a reportable breach.

Bar chart showing the number of calls received each month from January 2025 to December 2025, with an overlaid line graph indicating the average wait time in minutes and seconds.
Bar chart showing the number of calls received each month from January 2025 to December 2025, with an overlaid line graph indicating the average wait time in minutes and seconds.

The meeting also reviewed the Administration Performance Update March 2026 document, which details these performance metrics. See Administration Performance Update March 2026.

Further details on the Newham Pension Fund's performance can be found in the Appendix 1 - Q3 Newham Pension Fund - Performance Report document. See Appendix 1 - Q3 Newham Pension Fund - Performance Report.

The agenda for the meeting was part of the Public reports pack 24th-Mar-2026 18.00 Newham Pensions Board.pdf . See Public reports pack 24th-Mar-2026 18.00 Newham Pensions Board.