A cross-industry group has called for greater public involvement in UK pensions policymaking, arguing that citizen participation will be critical to building trust and delivering a fair and sustainable retirement system.

The call comes alongside the publication of a new report, Deliberative Democracy & Pensions: Building a democratic mandate for pensions reform, which sets out how deliberative approaches could help shape the next phase of reform.

Commissioned by a group including the Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Pensions UK, Nest, Nest Insight and People’s Pension, the report argued that pensions policy must increasingly reflect the views of the public as individuals take on greater responsibility for retirement outcomes.

The report highlighted that the UK pensions system is facing significant structural challenges, including widespread undersaving, demographic pressures and persistent inequalities.

Against this backdrop, the report suggested that traditional policymaking approaches may not be sufficient to address the complex trade-offs required to achieve adequate and sustainable retirement outcomes.

A central recommendation was the creation of a citizens’ assembly on the future of UK pensions, which would bring together a representative group of the public to engage with policy challenges, weigh evidence and develop recommendations to support the work of the Pensions Commission and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The report argued that such an approach could help policymakers better understand what the public considers to be a fair pensions settlement, while also strengthening the legitimacy of reform decisions.

In addition to a citizens’ assembly, the report outlined two further mechanisms to embed public input: targeted public dialogues with specific cohorts, such as lower earners or the self-employed, and a national invitation for public submissions.

Standard Life Centre for the Future of Retirement director, Catherine Foot, said deliberative approaches offer a way to support more meaningful public engagement with complex policy challenges.

“Today’s pensions challenges involve difficult trade-offs and long-term consequences.

“Deliberative approaches stand out for their ability to support the public to engage with these issues in a meaningful way, helping policymakers to ground reform in public values as well as technical evidence.”

Financial Inclusion Commissioner and Financial Services Consumer Panel member, Johnny Timpson, added that pensions reform must move beyond being an “expert-driven exercise”, towards an approach that is "grounded in public values and consensus across the generations."

Meanwhile, Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Pensions Gap and Ageing Population Working Parties chair, Alexandra Miles, said deliberative methods could help address gaps in the current system.

“Our work shows that too many people are still not well served by the system.

“Deliberative approaches give us a way to build reforms with all citizens to create a settlement that is fair, sustainable, and legitimate.”

Pensions UK executive director for policy and advocacy, Zoe Alexander, emphasised that public input is particularly important given the increasing complexity of retirement decisions.

“People are increasingly being asked to take more responsibility for decisions about their retirement, often against the backdrop of complex and unpredictable working lives,” she said.

Nest chief transformation and strategy officer, Camilla Egginton, added: “Our experience shows that deliberative approaches enable people to weigh trade-offs, form informed views, and play a constructive role alongside expert-led policymaking."

The report concluded that the relaunch of the Pensions Commission presents a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to embed citizen input into policymaking and build a long-term, democratically supported pensions settlement.

It also warned that without meaningful public involvement, reforms may lack legitimacy or fail to address the underlying challenges facing the system.

New Citizen Project co-founder and director, Irenie Ekkeshis, said the initiative reflects growing momentum across the sector to involve citizens more directly in shaping pensions policy.

“By bringing together a representative sample of the population to learn together, deliberate, weigh trade-offs and make collective recommendations, deliberative democracy can complement existing approaches and enhance policy development," he stated.

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