• LGPS New Scheme Video
• March 2008 DCC Pay-Advice Enclosure
• Employee's Brief Guide: April 2008 Version
• What’s Gone or Disappeared With the Introduction of the 'New Look' Scheme?
• New Look LGPS - Existing/Proposed Scheme Comparison
• New Pension Scheme (April 2008)
• New look Scheme: Actual Regulations Issued

LGPS New Scheme Video - April 2008

A presentation video covering the changes introduced by the new look scheme is now available for viewing on this website. It was designed with the employee in mind, so it should prove useful to anybody wishing for an easy to digest recap or those who have only now started to find out more about the new look pension scheme. The video is available in three sections:

Part 1 - Introduction: Why the Scheme is changing

Part 2 - Overview of the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales from 1 April 2008

Part 3 - Questions & Answers for existing members

Once you select the section you wish to view, you will be taken to the relevant video as hosted by Google Video.

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March 2008 DCC Pay-Advice Enclosure - March 2008

All staff employed by Devon County Council will be receiving an enclosure with their pay-advice this month, informing them of the new banded contribution rates (as introduced by the April 2008 pension scheme). Confirmation of individual contribution rates shall be issued (by Payroll/Human Resources) to scheme members by the end of April.

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Employee's Brief Guide: April 2008 Version - March 2008

The first update of existing scheme literature has been released by the Local Government Employers association. The Employee's Brief Guide (169KB - pdf help) is a notably reduced version of the main scheme booklet, covering the main points of interest while leaving the detail to the scheme guide proper. It has been added to the Current Member section of this website. The full Employee's Guide has not been released yet, but we are expecting it's arrival within the coming weeks.

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What’s Disappeared With the Introduction of the 'New Look' Scheme? - March 2008

Listed below are a number of items which you may well have missed amongst the more headline grabbing changes covered by the various guides and information resources produced by various parties over the last month or so -

• Commutation for exceptional ill health cases has been removed
• No longer a minimum 10 years membership guarantee for children’s pensions [but for deaths in service, children’s pensions will calculated by reference to the deceased scheme member’s full prospective membership to age 65]
• No new certificates of protection of pension benefits for pay reductions or restrictions occurring after 31st March 2008 [but see best of 3 years in the last 10 years option mentioned earlier in this Circular]
• No lump sum death grant for pensioners who die aged 75+
• 3/80ths underpin for the death in service lump sum has been removed
• Benefit at 65 with 1 days membership is no longer possible [now need a minimum of 3 months membership or have had a transfer in from another pension arrangement]
• No future short-term (higher rate) survivor pensions [the long-term lower rate is now paid straight away]
• No longer a need to have a minimum of 3 months membership for long-term spouse’s or civil partner’s pension [long term survivors pension following death in service now payable after just 1 days membership if member dies in service]
• Removed the right to a refund of contributions if leaving with less than 3 months membership and have not had a transfer in of other pension rights but do have a Deferred LGPS Benefit or an LGPS pension in payment [although, to all intents and purposes, this change has been in effect since April 2006 due to HMRC rules]
• Calculation method for interfund adjustments has been changed [interfund adjustments are to be calculated on a modified cash equivalent basis rather than the simple formula currently being used and we believe this new approach will be applied to interfund adjustments paid after 31st March 2008]

Source: Local Government Employers

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New Look LGPS - Existing/Proposed Scheme Comparison - January 2008

The Government Actuaries Department (GAD) have prepared a brief guide (41KB - pdf help) which compares the current scheme with the proposed April 2008 scheme. Further details and operational guidance are expected in the next couple of months, prior to the new scheme's introduction in April 2008.

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New Pension Scheme (April 2008) - August 2007

The clearest guide yet to the new Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) has been produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government. We would recommend that all members of the LGPS read the publication and familiarise themselves with the changes that will be implemented in April 2008. The publication is available in two formats; the original PDF file (848KB - pdf help) or a text-only version.

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New look Scheme: Actual Regulations Issued - April 2007

Actual regulations for the new 2008 Local Government Pension Scheme have now been released by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The new look LGPS will replace the existing scheme on 1st April 2008. All employee's shall be automatically transferred to the new scheme (there will be no option to continue paying into the 'old scheme').

The Local Government Employers organisation has produced a summary of the main points/highlights of the new regulations, or you may examine the statutory instrument (67KB - pdf help) itself.