The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) will publish its guidance for administering authorities on pensions dashboards connection in late June or early July, according to The Pensions Regulator (TPR).

Its draft guidance was published in November 2023 and the scheme is currently “amending and tweaking” the guidance to be published in the coming weeks, TPR industry outreach lead: pensions dashboards, Angela Bell, stated.

Speaking at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association Local Authority Conference, Bell said that the LGPS’s guidance would complement the regulator’s guidance.

“They work really well together but it’s aimed at administering authorities, so I hope you keep an eye out for that,” she stated.

Alongside the dashboards guidance, the LGPS will also publish specific guidance on how to look at additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) in terms of dashboards, as that is an area LGPS funds will need to consider, and it can be “challenging”.

Bell also noted that TPR was looking to publish its final compliance and enforcement policy in relation to dashboards this month, but this will now follow “very closely” after the general election.

“That policy is as you would expect: It’s saver focused, it’s evidence based,” she said. “Where we see intentional non-compliance, we will take a dim view.

“Make sure you have a robust audit trail in place. Many schemes I go and talk to tell me that they have a dashboard-specific decision log. That is definitely something we would encourage. You do need to be able to demonstrate, where required, how you have had regard to the guidance.”

Bell urged LGPS funds and administering authorities to decide how they were going to connect to dashboards.

“I know many would have already done that, but make sure you are working with those supporting you to develop that practical plan,” she continued. “Keep data and dashboards as a regular agenda item at your board meetings.

“Understand what data is going to be required. Consider how that applies to your specific fund.

“We will also be sending out a series of nudge communications that are designed to help you along your journey to that connect-by date. The first is due to be sent 15 months in advance, so that will be July. That will be sent directly to the scheme manager.

“If you haven’t already started cracking on with this, the time is now.

“We’re going to be launching a communications campaign, possibly after the general election, it hasn’t been confirmed exactly when that will be.”

---