5. Roles and Responsibilities
Admin authority
The main duties, responsibilities, and obligations for the Administering Authority are to:
- administer the LGPS for all scheme members (Active, Deferred and Pensioner members) in accordance with this Strategy
- maintain and review the Fund’s policies, strategies, statements, reports, and all other matters relating to the governance of the scheme
- communicate and engage with employers on administration and LGPS matters
- provide support and training to scheme employers
- maintain and develop an effective web presence for the benefit of members and scheme employers
- establish levels of performance and set targets which the admin authority and scheme employers are expected to achieve when conducting their scheme functions, in line with regulatory requirements
- adhere to all legal and regulatory requirements, including the Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022
- ensure accurate and timely data submission to the Pensions Dashboard
- maintain up-to-date records of pension scheme members
- pay pension in line with regulatory requirements
The key regulatory requirements of the Administering Authority are to:
- prepare and publish the Pension Fund Annual Report
- prepare, publish and maintain its Funding Strategy Statement
- prepare, publish and maintain its Communications Policy
- commission and obtain a valuation of Fund assets and liabilities as at the 31 March in every third year and to obtain a report and a rates & adjustments certificate prepared by an Actuary, in respect of that valuation
- issue annual pension statements for its active, deferred, and pension credit members
- issue a P60 by 31 May, to members who were receiving pension payments on 5 April
- make monthly pension payments by BACS into nominated accounts
- stop pension payments as soon as possible after a death is reported
- adjust pensions accounts each year by the index rate adjustment, from the date the increase would apply (Pensions (Increase) Act 1971)
- appoint an adjudicator in relation to Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP) to consider applications from members
Employers
The key regulatory responsibilities for the scheme employer are to:
- comply with obligations under Data Protection Law and LGPS Regulations and any other overriding regulations
- assess and communicate details of the LGPS to eligible staff
- enrol employees into the scheme under contractual enrolment rules of the scheme and apply auto enrolment rules where applicable
- formulate, publish and keep under regular review a written policy on how they will exercise certain discretionary powers provided under the LGPS Regulations
- provide secure accurate membership data to Avon Pension Fund monthly
- ensure the correct level of pension contributions are collected and paid across to the fund no later than the 22nd of the following month after deduction
- provide accurate data for Year End purposes
- provide a prompt response to data requests, in line with the service level agreement
- designate a main contact/lead officer to liaise with the Fund to help support and develop a successful working relationship
- roles and permissions for the lead officer can be found on our website
Employers must also make first-instance decisions in respect of their employees’ pension entitlement and benefits in the scheme. In the LGPS employers are responsible for deciding whether a member is entitled to benefits, including their right to join, the contributions they pay and the scheme and the benefits they receive upon leaving.
Employers must notify members of these decisions in writing, explaining the reasoning, providing further information, and outlining the right to appeal under the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP).
The key regulatory responsibilities tasks for employers are to:
- inform members of the right to appeal against any decisions you the employer make that may impact on them
- appoint an IDRP representative for any disputes between the member and employer
- at the end of the Scheme Year, provide the Fund with a statement of details of every employee, to comply with Year End Requirements
The above list is not exhaustive, the LGPS Regulations should be referred to in the event of any doubt.
Performance reviews – where necessary, the Fund offer one-to-one meetings, online or at the workplace. These meetings can be initiated by the Fund, for instance, in cases of underperforming employers; or requested by employers seeking additional support with administrative issues.
For more information about any of the above services, please contact the Employer Relations team.
Outsourced payroll services and providers
Where an employer outsources its payroll services to a third-party provider, the regulatory responsibility remains with the employer, including the submission of monthly data returns via i-Connect.
When procuring or changing payroll services and systems, all employers must ensure the new payroll providers do the following:
- securely store and retain the personal and financial data of its scheme members, as required by the Funds data retention policy and GDPR regulations
- use i-Connect (the Fund’s data sharing portal) for monthly data returns
- provide accurate data submissions and relevant documentation via i-Connect to meet the reporting requirements of the Fund
- make all data submissions through i-Connect no later than the 22nd of the following month after contribution deduction
Change of Payroll Provider
When appointing a new payroll provider the employer must:
Inform the Fund immediately and ensure the new service provider…
- has full knowledge of the requirements of the Fund and LGPS, in terms of data supply and reporting
- has a suitable software system in place, that can meet those requirements
- has sufficient knowledge of its duties and responsibilities, to seamlessly take over the supply of data submissions and manage data queries
i-Connect and changes in payroll systems or providers
The Fund will support employers through any changes in payroll provider or system to ensure continuity of data. Employers must implement a clear process for access control and account management to ensure best practices for protecting user and member data is maintained.
More information on appointing or changing payroll providers.
The above summary of duties defines the main functions of the employer role, which enables the Fund to deliver an efficient, accurate and high-quality pension service to members.
For more information on employer duties, please refer to our employer responsibilities web page.
Employer Notifiable Events
In accordance with The Pensions Regulator’s Notifiable Events Framework, the Fund will monitor and support the timely identification and reporting of employer-related events that may materially impact the funding or governance of the pension scheme. These events include, but are not limited to, the sale of a material proportion of the business or assets, the granting of security over assets ranking above the scheme, changes in control of the sponsoring employer, breaches of banking covenants, and insolvency proceedings. The Fund will liaise with employers to ensure that any such events are reported to The Pensions Regulator as soon as reasonably practicable, in line with statutory obligations.