Archive
Pension Problums
28th June 2023
WMFS Pension problems/issues update 27th June 2023
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The WMFS currently have 2 administrative
systems in place for members of the Pension Scheme (Altair for current employed ‘active members’ AND Oracle for the ‘pensioner members’).
The active members (those on Altair) have full online access to pay slips and P60’s,
whereas pensioner members (those on Oracle) have no online access.
The WMFS are currently running a trial of the Oracle system involving 25 pensioner members.
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The current WMFS Pension Scheme Managers are the WMFS Audit & Risk Committee. At their meeting 19th June 2023, it was reported that the Oracle pensioner trial is fraught with issues and will not be available to all pensioner members in the near future.
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A WMNARF pensioner (not on the current Oracle trial), has recently asked the WMFS whether it is unfair that pensioners on the Oracle system, are unable to access their payslips and P60’s, like the active members on the Altair system. They are waiting for a response.
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The WMFS Fire Authority Committee meeting on 26th June 2023, voted to accept and implement in full the recommendations of the Independent Review into the historic pension problems between November 2021 and July 2022, highlighted in Louise Wagstaff’s report. The report is on the link at The Authority’s AGM was held at our HQ: https://wmfs.link/3JB6vpw
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The Fire Authority Committee meeting on 26th June 2023, voted to change the Scheme Manager of the WMFS Pension scheme from the Audit & Risk Committee to the Chief Fire Officer.
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The next meeting of the Local Pension Board is on July 4th. The employee representatives can be contacted by email at employee.pension.rep@gmail.com
West Midlands Firefighters Pension issues
I am afraid I am still unable to give a firm deadline for the Oracle trail as the matter is now in the hands of Oracle themselves to resolve and they have not yet provided a date. As soon as we have a timeline I will share it with you and others.
In terms of Ms Wagstaff’s investigation, that has been completed and the initial report shared with the Scheme Manager. The report will be formally shared (i.e. as a matter of public record) with the Pension Board and the full Fire Authority ahead of their next meetings in June.
The most recent error with payment has been notified to The Pension Regulator as well as to the Scheme Manager and discussed at length by the Pensions Board. As Ms Wagstaff’s investigation has concluded it will not be possible to include within her report, but a report from the Pensions Board has already been submitted to the Scheme Manager on the matter and will be included within the formal Pension Board report to the Scheme Manager at their next meeting.
Contact details for the Pension Board members can now be found on the Pension Board page (under the members tab) on the CMIS site. Thank you for highlighting this: https://wmfs.cmis.uk.com/cmis5/Committees/
Pension Problums update
Dear Councillor Miks,
I am writing to you in your capacity of Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee, who in turn are the appointed Scheme Managers of the West Midlands Fire Service Firefighter Pension Fund.
I have written to you previously to highlight concerns I and many of my colleagues have had regarding the administration of the pension fund since November 2021.
As you can see from page 6 of the attached "Terms of Reference for the Pension Board of the WMF&RA", the names and information of the Pension Board members should be available on the WMF&RA website. The names of the Board members are on the website, but no contact information is available for scheme members to use, to make contact with them, so I'm having to contact you again.
I spoke at the recent Audit and Risk Committee meeting (via Microsoft Teams), and asked for some timescales regarding the trial of the Oracle Fusion system.
I am the Chair of the City of Coventry & Solihull branch of the National Association of Retired Firefighters (NARF). We are meeting on May 4th and I request from you an update regarding the pension issues and Oracle Fusion timescales, so I can inform our members. I will also be attending the Committee meeting of the WMFS NARF branch on the 26th April and would also like to update them about the ongoing pension problems.
It would be useful if you could update me on the current timescales when the "Firefighter Pension Scheme Investigation" (see attached), will be completed and relayed to interested parties, and also when the Oracle Fusion Trial (currently inaccessable) will be completed.
I will also send this email to Tom Embury, as I believe he tried to answer my questions at the recent "Audit & Risk Committee" Meeting, and he may be able to further update me.
