{"id":168154,"date":"2025-09-29T13:11:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T13:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/168154\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T13:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T13:11:08","slug":"reed-to-reinstate-councillor-pensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/168154\/","title":{"rendered":"Reed to reinstate councillor pensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Councillors will once again be able to join the Local Government Pension Scheme, communities secretary Steve Reed has announced, more than a decade after the entitlement was scrapped.<\/p>\n

During a speech to councillors at Labour party conference yesterday Mr Reed said he was \u201coutraged\u201d when the Conservative government removed councillors\u2019 access to pensions through the LGPS.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud as can be to announce today the reversal of that decision \u2013 you deserve it,\u201d he told conference delegates at the Local Government Association\u2019s rally fringe event in Liverpool.<\/p>\n

One councillor in the audience called for him to \u201cback date it\u201d, to which Mr Reed replied, \u201cthere\u2019s always something more\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Reed, who was a council leader before becoming an MP, said councillors do a \u201cheroic job on the frontline\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will always have your back,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

After Mr Reed finished his speech Labour councillors applauded and gave him a standing ovation.<\/p>\n

At a later reception, hosted by the Association of Labour Councillors, Mr Reed said that metro mayors would get their own pension scheme.<\/p>\n

LGC\u2019s Councillors for the 21st Century Campaign<\/a>, which has received support from sector bodies including the Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives & Senior Managers, has been calling for councillors to have access to pensions among a host of measures to make it easier for people of all ages and backgrounds to serve as elected members.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year former local government minister Jim McMahon hinted that he was sympathetic to calls<\/a> from councillors to be able to join the LGPS and said he \u201cif there\u2019s a way to reconcile that, we will work on [restoring access to pensions]\u201d. LGC understands Mr McMahon, who\u2019s brief also included responsibility for pensions, had begun work on restoring access to the LGPS before he was sacked in the reshuffle earlier this month.<\/p>\n

However, speaking at his party\u2019s annual conference earlier this month, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice ruled out letting councillors join the LGPS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201c\u201cYou can\u2019t be on both [the committee and LGPS]\u2026 Where\u2019s the governance in that for Christ\u2019s sake, there is a conflict of interest as you can\u2019t sit on both sides of the deal, it\u2019s one side or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, a spokesperson for the LGA said:\u00a0\u201cCouncillors work very hard to represent their communities, sacrificing working hours and family time to carry out their role.<\/p>\n

\u201cFair remuneration, including pension provision, is vital so that people from all walks of life feel able to stand for public office.<\/p>\n

\u201cReinstating councillors\u2019 access to the Local Government Pension Scheme is an essential step in recognising their dedication and service to their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

LGC editor Sarah Calkin\u00a0 welcomed the restoration of access to the LGPS for councillors.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cIt was a great injustice that councillors, who spend hours every week working for the benefit of their communities, would then find themselves penalised for that in retirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was also a big barrier to working age people being able to afford to serve as councillors, which is why our Councillors for the 21st Century campaign was calling for pensions to be reinstated.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully this will go some way to making the role more feasible for more people, but there is still more the government can do, such as improving parental leave and looking at the allowances system.\u201d<\/p>\n

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