![\"Richard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/670bf98c64c72473095ae8cf127bfce7.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nWhen Richard Evans broke down at work six months ago, he knew something had to change.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d been struggling since the Covid-19 lockdown and after 36 years in the Civil Service, the effect on his mental health had become too much.<\/p>\n
With support from his manager, he lightened the load with partial retirement, allowing him to work three days a week instead of five and use part of his pension to bridge the gap financially.<\/p>\n
But a month into his new life, he still has no idea when his pension will arrive \u2013 forcing him to borrow from his children to get by.<\/p>\n
Evans, 56, is one of 8,500 members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, run by outsourcing giant Capita, who have had their pensions, lump sums and death benefit payments delayed.<\/p>\n
As a result, he is also one of almost 800 retirees forced to apply for government crisis loans of up to \u00a310,000 to tide them over, which are interest-free but must be repaid in full.<\/p>\n
Instead of enjoying more time for walking, rugby, and preparing for the quiz nights he hosts, Evans has been forced into borrowing \u00a35,000 to make ends meet and has had to rely on his children until it arrives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no choice but to do it this way because I\u2019m only on 60pc pay. The whole point of going partial was to take the lump sum at the outset, pay the mortgage off, pay a few old debts off and that would leave me about \u00a3750 a month better off and make life a bit easier,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201c60pc pay doesn\u2019t even cover the bills, so I\u2019m having to rely on my kids to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s embarrassing. I\u2019m quite traditional, it\u2019s my job to provide for them, not for them to provide for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m just treading water\u2019<\/p>\n
Evans\u2019 battle began in December last year, when he applied for partial retirement from his role at Companies House on health grounds.<\/p>\n
The initiative gives civil servants a chance to request a reshaping of their job, usually by reducing their hours or taking a lower-paid role, provided their pay drops by at least 20pc. They can then access their pension to bridge the gap.<\/p>\n
His application landed a week after Capita took over the pension scheme from previous administrators MyCSP, but he had no reason to be concerned.<\/p>\n
Once it was approved by his employer, he made the switch to partial retirement on March 16, expecting his lump sum a couple of weeks later and his pension shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n
However, neither arrived, and he still has not heard anything from Capita.<\/p>\n
He says: \u201cI was hoping to get the lump sum by the end of March, but they have given me no idea when the pension starts paying in. Absolutely none.<\/p>\n
\u201cI rang Capita about two weeks ago and the guy was quite helpful. He said he\u2019d escalate my case, but I\u2019ve heard nothing back since.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019m treading water. I did this for a couple of reasons and I can\u2019t enjoy what I\u2019m doing until that happens. It\u2019s the next part of my life that I want to move on to, and it feels like I can\u2019t make the most of it until this is all sorted out.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Richard spoke to a \u2018helpful\u2019 spokesman who promised to escalate his case, but he has not yet heard back – Jay Williams<\/p>\n
\u00a34m in government crisis loans<\/p>\n
Capita has come under heavy fire from trade unions and from MPs on the public accounts committee (PAC) over the widespread delays. However, service levels aren\u2019t expected to return to normal until June at the earliest.<\/p>\n
In addition to the pension delays, the firm\u2019s total caseload backlog topped 120,000 as recently as February. As a result, ill-health retirements have still not been processed, bereavement cases are outstanding and 21,000 people are now awaiting quotes for how much they are entitled to.<\/p>\n
Since setting up a dedicated, interest-free crisis loan scheme last month, the Government has sent \u00a34m to struggling retirees, some of whom found themselves unable to meet their rent and mortgage payments.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Capita is facing an investigation from the Information Commissioner\u2019s Office after admitting to a second data breach in three years<\/a>, marking the latest in a litany of crucial mistakes.<\/p>\n The firm spent 27 years running the Teachers\u2019 Pension Scheme, but was stripped of a new \u00a3234m 10-year contract in 2023.<\/p>\n During its tenure, lengthy delays left thousands of teachers unable to finalise their divorces, while administrative failures meant some pensions were thousands of pounds lower than they should have been.<\/p>\n However, the same year, Capita won a new \u00a3239m deal to run the Civil Service Pension Scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n During the subsequent two-year transition period, a scathing National Audit Office report, released last summer, found that key milestones had been missed and the Cabinet Office withheld \u00a39.6m in contractual payments.<\/p>\n Then, last October, a report from the PAC, which scrutinises financial accounts and value for money, concluded there was \u201ca clear risk\u201d that Capita was not ready to take over in December.<\/p>\n However, the firm did assume control on time and is now responsible for making \u00a38.7bn in pension payments to 741,000 pensioners, along with handling almost \u00a38bn a year in incoming contributions.<\/p>\n In the meantime, it has also secured another 10-year, \u00a3370m contract<\/a> to provide payroll and HR services for four major government departments.<\/p>\n Capita told The Telegraph it was making \u201csustained progress\u201d in addressing the backlog inherited from MyCSP by training and deploying additional staff, and apologised for the distress and frustration caused. The Cabinet Office said an urgent recovery plan was underway and that its immediate priority was stabilising the service.<\/p>\n This is, however, of little comfort to people like Evans. The complete lack of contact from Capita continues to leave him in limbo.<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cThis \u00a35,000 hardship loan I\u2019m getting should be a gift from Capita to say \u2018look, we are sorry and we\u2019ve given this to tide you over\u2019. They must be getting financially penalised and if they are, why doesn\u2019t that come to the people affected?<\/p>\n \u201cCapita had two years to prepare for this. It\u2019s plenty of time to do due diligence. You\u2019ve got the knowledge, the experience. You can\u2019t go into a contract of this size without knowing what you\u2019ve taken on.<\/p>\n \u201cMyCSP, the Cabinet Office and Capita are all at fault here and all three need to be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n *Please note that by submitting your content to us, you are consenting to The Telegraph processing your personal data where required by law. For further details, please see our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n