Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds and local councils are “diverging” over their differing trajectories on recruitment and resources, conference attendees have been told.

Speaking at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s (PLSA) Local Authority Conference, North East of Scotland Pension Fund pension fund manager, Laura Colliss. said that LGPS funds’ challenges with complexity, staffing requirements. and cost were increasing.

Meanwhile, councils were “unfortunately” having to reduce their staff, and try and balance their budgets.

“We are diverging even more over recent years,” Colliss stated. “The service that the council provides our fund is becoming increasingly challenging for us because we want to run an efficient fund and deliver an efficient service to our members, and all our stakeholders, and be accountable.”

She added that all LGPS funds were in the same boat with recruitment and resourcing, saying there were many challenges and barriers for funds in these areas.

“I don’t want to stand here and batter the administering authority and the councils, but we are under those policies that are not necessarily fit for our purposes,” Colliss continued.

“So, there are challenges around salary grades, around general terms and conditions, around efficiency, around recruiting. I don’t think that’s new to anybody. We need to challenge that, or challenge those challenges.”

Colliss emphasised the importance of recruitment and promoting from within, highlighting the work the North East of Scotland Pension Fund had done in developing a training programme on the administration side.

“I think we need to widen that remit so we can bring up through the ranks,” she continued. “I think it’s very important that we have training and development for all our staff.

“It’s very difficult depending on where you are geographically. So, it becomes even more important for us to grow our own and train and provide development for our staff.

“Key person risk is huge, and that goes for all of my staff. We are all essential. No one is irreplaceable, but you have to accept that working in the LGPS there are nuances to that and trying to find someone off the street for that is a challenge in itself.”

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