Pensions Sub-Committee Thursday, 05 May 2016 at 10:30 County Hall, County Hall, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 7QP AGENDA 1 Minutes of the last meeting held on 4 February 16 5 - 8 2 Apologies for Absence 3 Declarations of Interests by Members and Officers:- (see note below) (a) Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (b) Private Interests (pecuniary and non-pecuniary) 4 Local Government pensions Scheme (LGPS) Website Design 9 - 10 update 5 LGPS Year End Process Update 11 - 12 6 Local Authority Pensions Fund Forum Business Meeting 13 - 54 7 Proxy Voting 55 - 168 8 LGPS Asset Pooling 169 - 182 9 Working Party Recommendations 183 - 186 Page 1 of 186 10 EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC The Committee will be invited to resolve:- 1. “That the public be excluded for the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that the discussions are likely to involve disclosure of exempt information described in paragraph 3 of the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.” Note If this is agreed, the public will have to leave the meeting during consideration of the following exempt items. 11 Exempt appendix Asset Pooling and Consultation on Revised Investment Regulations 12 Working Party Exempt appendix and report of the Independent Advisor Notes (1) Councillors are advised to contact their Research Officer for details of any Group Meetings which are planned for this meeting. (2) Members of the public wishing to inspect "Background Papers" referred to in the reports on the agenda or Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act should contact:- Customer Services Centre 0300 500 80 80 (3) Persons making a declaration of interest should have regard to the Code of Conduct and the Council’s Procedure Rules. Those declaring must indicate the nature of their interest and the reasons for the declaration. Councillors or Officers requiring clarification on whether to make a declaration of interest are invited to contact David Forster (Tel. 0115 977 3552) or a colleague in Democratic Services prior to the meeting. (4) Councillors are reminded that Committee and Sub-Committee papers, with the exception of those which contain Exempt or Confidential Information, may be recycled. Page 2 of 186 (5) This agenda and its associated reports are available to view online via an online calendar - http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/dms/Meetings.aspx Page 3 of 186 Page 4 of 186 minutes Meeting PENSIONS SUB COMMITTEE Date Thursday 4 February 2016 at 10.30 am membership Persons absent are marked with `A’ COUNCILLORS Reg Adair (Chairman) Mike Pringle (Vice Chairman) Chris Barnfather Sheila Place A Ian Campbell Ken Rigby Mrs Kay Cutts Parry Tsimbiridis John Wilkinson Nottingham City Council Councillor Alan Clark A Councillor Nick McDonald A Councillor Anne Peach Nottinghamshire Local Authorities’ Association Councillor Richard Jackson – Broxtowe Borough Council Kate Allsop – Executive Mayor Mansfield District Council Trades Unions Mr A Woodward Mr C King Scheduled Bodies Mrs Sue Reader Pensioners A Mr S Haggerty Mr T Needham Independent Advisor Mr William Bourne Page 5 of 186 1 Officers in Attendance Nigel Stevenson (Service Director – Finance Procurement and Improvement) Simon Cunnington (Resources) David Forster (Resources) Neil Robinson (Resources) Ciaran Guilfoyle (Resources) Andy Durrant (Resources) MINUTES The minutes of the last meeting of the Sub-Committee held on 5 November2015, having been previously circulated, were confirmed and signed by the Chairman. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from City Councillors Alan Clark and Nick McDonald Alan Woodward (Union Rep) William Bourne (Independent Advisor) DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS AND OFFICERS None. LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME – ANNUAL BENEFIT STATEMENT S Stevenson introduced the report and highlighted that there are some issue that the Pensions Regulator is investigating around the annual return for 2013/14 and 14/15. On a motion by the Chairman seconded by the Vice Chairman it was:- RESOLVED 2015/030 That the report be noted and that an update report be presented to the next meeting of the Pensions Sub-Committee with regard to the Pensions Regulators investigations. PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2014/15 PRESENTATION Members welcomed Karen Thurmble to the meeting. She gave a slide presentation with regard to the performance of the Nottinghamshire Pensions Fund for the performance to the end of March 2015. She highlighted the following points Page 6 of 186 2 The LGPS is performing very well however having cash somewhat reduces the returns that can be gained. The benchmarks set are skewed because of the weighting to US markets although the funds are reaching their 6% targets. There may need to be a reassessment of the Internal Multi Asset portfolio. Members thanked Karen Thurmble for her presentation. RESOLVED 2015/030 That the presentation and content be noted. LOCAL AUTHORITY PENSION FUND FORUM PRESENTATION Members welcomed Councillor Kieran Quinn Leader of Tameside and Chair of LAPFF. He gave a slide presentation on the work of the LAPFF and Shareholder engagement and highlighted the following It is about engaging companies to ensure the best results achievable e.g. through adhering to high standards of corporate behaviour and returns are sustainable. LAPFF also look towards Carbon risk and Strategic resilience resolutions – so companies look to have a low-carbon business strategy Company Diversity and encouraging a wide range of views is critical. Shareholder Engagement Accountability LGPS Investment Regulations Reform Members thanked Councillor Quinn for the presentation. RESOLVED 2015/031 That the presentation and content be noted. LOCAL AUTHORITY PENSION FUND FORUM BUSINESS MEETING RESOLVED 2015/032 That the report be noted. PROXY VOTING RESOLVED: 2015/033 That the report on Proxy Voting be noted Page 7 of 186 3 LGC INVESTMENT SUMMIT 2015 RESOLVED: 2015/034 1. That the attendance at key conferences be note as part of the Fund’s commitment to ensuring those charged with decision making and financial management have effective knowledge and skills. 2. That the report be noted. PROPERTY INSPECTION 2015 RESOLVED: 2015/035 That the property Inspections Tour be noted and that they are considered important part of the Funds fiduciary duties The meeting concluded at 12.20 pm CHAIRMAN Page 8 of 186 4 Report to Pensions Sub-Committee 5th May 2016 Agenda Item: xx REPORT OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR – HUMAN RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME – LGPS Website update 1. Purpose of the Report 1.1 The purpose of this report is to inform the Pensions Sub-Committee of the work that is in progress to review and redesign the Nottinghamshire Pension Fund website. 2. Information and Advice 2.1 Members will be aware that as part of the administration of the pension fund good communication is essential in informing members and employers of the fund of developments relating to governance, changes to regulations and providing access to services. 2.2 The original website was established in 2006 and has been updated as pension regulations have changed. However to take the administration of pensions forward and to reach out to all members it is essential that the website is redesigned to provide increased functionality to pensioners, members of the scheme and employers. 2.3 There are many benefits to redesigning the website. A key benefit is providing members with restricted access to their own pension record enabling them through secure access to update certain personal details such as their address, complete on line forms and against certain criteria simulate a pension’s estimate, thus reducing the direct administration contact to more priority cases, and therefore reducing overall administration costs. It is also important to have a website that meets modern website design criteria, accessible via multiple devices, that will encourage members and pensioners to use the site, making it easy to find the information that they need to answer their questions. The website must also give a good impression in order to provide confidence in the content along with longevity, to enable future developments to be designed to improve the service and the customer experience. 2.4 It is envisaged that the first stage of the redesigned website will be completed and ready for go live in May 2016. 2.5 The second stage of the website development will link to the launch of a portal for members and employers. The portal will integrate into the pension’s administration system and will enable employers to have direct access into their member’s records to enable records to be Page 9 of 186 1 updated by the employer as part of their responsibilities in the LGPS. The members’ portal will also be the main route by which annual benefit statements are distributed. It is envisaged that the members’ portal will go live in August 2017 to support the distribution of statements. 2.6 As part of the build and roll-out it is important to ensure that the website meets the requirements of employers and pensioners a number of stake-holder groups are being arranged to test the website performance, and content. 2.7 A demonstration of the prototype website will be presented at Pensions Sub Committee. 3. Statutory and Policy Implications 3.1 This report has been compiled after consideration of implications in respect of finance, equal opportunities, human resources, crime and disorder, human rights, the safeguarding of children, sustainability and the environment and those using the service and where such implications are material they are described below. Appropriate consultation has been undertaken and advice sought on these issues as required. 4. Recommendation 4.1 It is recommended that the Pensions Sub-Committee note the contents of the report. MARJORIE TOWARD SERVICE DIRECTOR - CUSTOMERS & HR For any enquiries about this report please contact: Jonarthan Clewes, Pensions Manager, Business Support Centre on 0115 9773434 or [email protected].