Planning for and beginning retirement are very significant decisions and changes for anyone. Our pensions administration team are working extremely hard to support retiring members of staff and to provide the information and support required.

This is while also undertaking the significant work required to implement the McCloud Remedy for active and deferred scheme members, following the publication of regulations in October 2023. Impacted active and deferred scheme members will be contacted this week to outline the process.

Altogether this means the pensions administration team are currently operating under an exceptionally high workload. WMFS are taking steps to address this as soon as possible but we acknowledge that in the meantime this means processes may take longer than scheme members expect.

Although we continue to ensure we meet legal requirements, we recognise that scheme members may expect quicker responses. However, we should be clear that any abusive behaviour directed towards pension administration staff, either directly or on social media, is entirely unacceptable.

You can help the administration team to provide the support and information you need by planning ahead and making any requests for information as far in advance as possible. It is also important to acquaint yourself with your entitlements when it comes to requesting information or making other changes.

We will be publishing more information here about the McCloud remedy process, as well as more detail on the timescales for various processes you can expect to receive from the team in the coming weeks.

Local Government Pension Scheme Members may also be aware that there are ongoing issues relating to the administration of the LGPS in the West Midlands, which may be leading to delays in payments. This is the responsibility of the West Midlands Pension Fund. You can find out more information about contacting the fund on the MESH pages or on the website should you have any queries.

If you do have any concerns which you do not think have been addressed by the pensions team themselves, please contact the Scheme Manager using the details on this page.