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R (Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier
The solution arrived through the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a quasi‑judicial body handling mass claims, created under UN Security Council Resolution 687. By addressing environmental harm—most notably via its ‘F4’ claim class—the UNCC set a seminal benchmark shaping how international law and contemporary arbitral panels allocate financial responsibility for wartime ecological devastation. With present-day wars in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East bringing dam breaches, strikes on chemical facilities, and the burning of farmland, the UNCC’s legacy endures as an essential reference point for states, global investors, and companies engaged in post‑conflict arbitration. The F4 claims: Quantifying the unquantifiable Prior to the 1990s, mechanisms in international law for war reparations overwhelmingly favoured property loss, foregone earnings, and bodily injury. The natural world was commonly treated as a mute, non-compensable victim of armed hostilities...
Understanding the farming business as a business Many farms still use long-standing structures that arose by habit, not strategy. Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common. While once effective, such setups can cause major issues around succession, tax planning and involving the next generation. A corporate team can take a fresh, business-led view of the farm, asking: Who owns the land and other critical assets? Who manages daily operations? Who carries the risk and who enjoys the return? What is the enduring plan for succession? From this review, the team can confirm whether the current setup is fit for purpose or if an alternative — for example an updated partnership agreement, a company, a limited liability partnership, or a blended model — would better meet the family’s aims. Tax efficiency through joined-up advice Tax sits at the centre of most
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Original news Mr R ( CAS-84083- M5S5)—3 July 2025 Summary The Pensions Ombudsman upheld a complaint about erroneous information. A member opted to retire early, and in doing so lost the chance of promotion with a higher wage, having relied on incorrect retirement illustrations. The scheme owed a duty of care to avoid negligent misstatements. It was reasonable for the complainant to retire early in light of the figures provided. The case serves as a reminder that pension schemes should ensure retirement quotations are precise. What were the facts? Mr R belonged to the Firemen’s Pension Scheme 1992 (the Scheme). At first, any uplift in pay from a temporary promotion counted as pensionable pay. Later, regulatory changes altered the position so that such temporary increases ceased to be pensionable; instead, an extra pension benefit would be awarded in their place to members......
What is the background to the consultation? On 13 October 2025, Alison Mc Govern, Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, told the House of Commons that the government was formally opening a consultation on proposed policy changes to the LGPS in England and Wales. This exercise follows major updates to the scheme’s investment and governance framework and rules that were announced earlier this year. What is being proposed and why? Within the consultation, four core policy themes are being examined in detail at present. First, the NMPA. Under the Finance Act 2022, the NMPA for the majority of registered pension schemes is scheduled to rise from age 55 to age 57, taking effect from 6 April 2028......
In this issue: Collective defined contribution ( CDC) schemes Transfers Investment and funding Pension benefits The Pensions Regulator Dates for your diary Trackers Collective defined contribution ( CDC) schemes Regulations laid before Parliament to extend CDC schemes to unconnected multiple employers The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) has issued its reply to the consultation on the Occupational Pension Schemes ( Collective Money Purchase Schemes) ( Extension to Unconnected Multiple Employer Schemes and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2025. Concurrently, the draft regulations—expanding the CDC framework to ‘unconnected multiple employer’ arrangements, i.e. those not set up by a single employer or a group of connected employers—have been placed before Parliament. Subject to parliamentary approval, they are expected to take effect on 31 July 2026. The government reports widespread backing for the draft rules and has adjusted them to reflect...
Latest news update Mr Y ( CAS-12388- L3Z2)—24 June 2025 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman partly supported a grievance concerning how a pension was worked out. The employer did not apply a uniform method when converting foreign-currency bonus payments for an overseas member. Some leeway in administration was acceptable, yet it needed to remain within sensible limits. The decision underscores the need for pension schemes to maintain consistent treatment for members based abroad. What were the facts? Mr Y belonged to the Unite Pension Scheme (the Scheme) as a member living overseas. He was employed in Switzerland and received pay in Swiss francs ( CHF)......
Allowing pension scheme to recoup overpayments before proper notification of recovery would not be equitable ( Mr and Mrs D, CAS-52136- P6D3 & CAS-52149- F8K1) Original news: Mr and Mrs D ( CAS-52136- P6D3 & CAS-52149- F8K1) — 20 June 2025 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman has partly upheld a complaint concerning the repayment of pension paid in error. While no limitation defence applied (the scheme was seeking recoupment), the Deputy Pensions Ombudsman concluded that it would be inequitable to allow recovery for the bulk of the period during which the overpayments occurred. Communications to members were not sufficiently clear, and the complainants had acted in good faith. This decision underlines the importance of clear messaging about the consequences of any court action for a pension scheme. What were the facts? Mr and Mrs D were pensioner members of the BIC UK Pension Scheme (the Scheme). They had been...
RSM UK, in a report released on 17 October 2025, said trustees should make reinforcing their cyber-risk frameworks a top priority. It further urged tighter fraud deterrence controls and the retention of printed copies of cyber plans in case systems are knocked out, the firm said. The intervention came after the National Cyber Security Centre ( NCSC) reported that the number of such serious incidents has more than doubled in the 12 months to September 2025. Erin Sims, RSM’s Fraud Risk Director, stated she expects cyber attacks on pension schemes to increase as the late 2025 Autumn Budget heads to Parliament and speculation builds over the tax-free status of pension lump sums. ‘ Many households are feeling the pinch as inflation climbs, and some......
Law firms say investment advisers at financial institutions will tread carefully before backing exposure to digitalised funds under the FCA’s tokenisation framework, as they could be liable for any missteps. Yet lawyers warn that the real escalation in consumer risk sits within targeted support. This FCA model permits advisers to steer groups of comparable customers towards products, without the expense and hazards of full advice. The regulator has clarified that firms offering targeted support must only secure better results, which falls short of guaranteeing good outcomes under the Consumer Duty. Lawyers stress the nuance matters for both firms and customers alike today. That distinction may prompt businesses, via targeted support, to funnel clients into digital funds transacting on distributed ledger technology ( DLT) systems. Harming consumers Michelle Quinn, a partner at Grosvenor Law, cautioned that setting the bar at better, rather than...
KO UK Pension Trustees Ltd v Barker [2024] EWHC 3661 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? KO Trustees shows the court is prepared to endorse pragmatic measures to address the challenging circumstances trustees frequently encounter, and that judicial scrutiny centres on the calibre of trustees’ decisions, assessed against markers of reasonableness, rationality and good faith, rather than on prescribing outcomes. The focus of the inquiry is the integrity of the process and the soundness of the judgment exercised. Building on the Arcadia ruling ([2025] EWHC 11 ( Ch)) from earlier this year—another blessing application exploring innovative routes to surplus distribution— KO Trustees underlines that staged strategies can be crafted to unlock surplus where it is confined or otherwise outside trustees’ control, including multi-step pathways to reach amounts that are trapped or inaccessible. Against industry estimates that about £45bn of surplus...
Isio reported the LGPS is currently now in surplus by £147bn, owing to unprecedented gains in funding. The government intends to combine the LGPS schemes into a handful of far larger mega-funds, equipping them with the financial clout to invest more heavily in infrastructure projects. When the reforms were unveiled in May 2025, the government assessed the LGPS as holding assets worth £392bn......
According to the ABI, major pension firms lifted their allocations to unlisted shares by £800m over the 12 months to the end of February 2025, channelling money via defined contribution ( DC) portfolios. The move increases DC funds’ stake in privately held businesses — including start-ups and other expanding firms — from 0.36% to 0.6%. In July 2023, DC scheme providers collectively pledged, under the so‑called Mansion House Compact, to place up to 5% of their assets into unlisted equities by 2030......
Aon Plc reported that merely 2% of those polled from defined benefit-style schemes plan to allocate to UK productive finance during 2025–26, overall. The firm noted, notably in comparable surveys run in recent years, a waning appetite among pension schemes for illiquid assets, according to Aon. We expected this pattern to create a major obstacle to the UK government’s aims of boosting pension scheme investment in UK productive finance, the company added......
In this issue: Public sector pensions The Pensions Regulator Members and benefits Funding, surplus and investment Dates for your diary Trackers Public sector pensions MHCLG proposes Fair Deal overhaul, raising LGPS minimum pension age and extending LGPS access The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG) has opened a consultation on changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme ( LGPS) in England and Wales, spanning four main policy strands. Building on the May 2025 exercise focused on boosting member entitlements, the package would lift the normal minimum pension age to 57 in line with the Finance Act 2022, with protections for those with membership before 4 November 2021, and introduce strengthened Fair Deal measures so staff transferred out of local government retain uninterrupted LGPS participation. It also seeks to reinstate scheme access for councillors in England and extend...
Original news Mr T ( CAS-76722- Z3Z9)—19 June 2025 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman upheld a grievance concerning a retained firefighter’s right to move all pensionable service into a newer, more generous arrangement created after a court ruled retained firefighters had been discriminated against. Taking a pragmatic stance, the Deputy Pensions Ombudsman construed a rule, brought in via secondary legislation, that permits the transfer of pensionable service. That secondary instrument, which implemented the provisions, should be read, so far as achievable, to realise the legislative purpose of eliminating the discrimination faced by retained firefighters. The decision illustrates how the Pensions Ombudsman will approach statutory interpretation. What were the facts? Retained firefighters were initially barred from joining the principal Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 1992 (the 1992 Scheme). After a legal challenge, this exclusion was held to be discriminatory towards part‑time staff. Consequently, the New...
Original news Mr Y ( CAS-59303- Y0Z8)-12 June 2025 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman has supported a complaint concerning a transfer payment. The member began a pension transfer to the receiving scheme, but the transaction was significantly delayed, largely because the receiving scheme did not supply the requested HMRC certificates and reference numbers. The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman concluded that the receiving scheme had assumed responsibility to ensure the transfer was completed promptly and was therefore accountable for any losses resulting from unreasonable delay. This decision serves as a clear warning to receiving schemes to deal with transfer requests from ceding schemes swiftly and efficiently What were the facts? Mr Y belonged to the Reassure Pension Group Stakeholder Pension Plan (the Scheme), which was administered by Aviva. He wished to move his pension benefits from another arrangement into the Scheme. Regrettably, there were a number of hold-ups before the...
Original news Mr S ( CAS-90949- P2D1)—16 June 2025 Summary The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman partially upheld a complaint arising from unreasonable delays in processing a transfer payment. A small award was granted for distress and inconvenience, although the complainant suffered no financial loss. The transfer value ultimately paid was higher than the amount that would have been payable had the transfer been completed in good time. The Deputy Pensions Ombudsman also declined to impose an obligation on the scheme to avert adverse Spanish tax consequences. This outcome serves as a reminder to pension schemes of the need to ensure transfer requests are handled promptly and in a timely fashion. What were the facts? Mr S belonged to the Re Assure Pension Group Stakeholder Pension Plan (the Scheme)......
Findings from TPR’s most recent DC survey, issued alongside its press release, indicate that schemes have moved to review, roll out or collaborate on decumulation solutions for their members ahead of the statutory obligation set out in the Pension Schemes Bill, which is presently progressing through Parliament. This forthcoming duty will compel trustees to make available at least one default route for members to draw their retirement income, commonly referred to as the guided retirement duty......
In this issue: Scheme amendments, mergers and de-risking Disclosure requirements Disputes, discrimination and divorce Dates for your diary Trackers Scheme amendments, mergers and de-risking FRC to issue post- Virgin Media guidance for actuaries once Pension Schemes Bill in force The Financial Reporting Council ( FRC) has outlined plans to produce technical guidance to assist scheme actuaries in giving confirmations on pension scheme amendments, following the Court of Appeal ruling in Virgin Media Ltd v NTL Pension Trustees II Ltd [2024] EWCA Civ 843. That judgment held that past changes to contracted-out defined benefit schemes made between 1997 and 2016 are void unless a contemporaneous written actuarial confirmation under section 37 of the Pension Schemes Act 1993 was obtained at the point of change. Provisions in the Pension Schemes Bill currently before Parliament will allow confirmations to be given...
Superfunds In the UK market, superfunds represent a form of consolidation vehicle, bringing multiple DB schemes together so operations can be delivered at lower cost. TPR stated it wants the new superfund to be the first to be assessed by the Pensions Regulator ( TPR) for run‑on. A run‑on may involve deploying surplus assets to enhance benefits for members. TPT’s design hardwires member benefit by offering the opportunity for surplus distribution to flow back to the scheme’s members......
Released on 2 October 2025 by Pensions for Purpose, the study finds that European retirement savings schemes oversee more than €3trn of assets yet direct only 0.12% towards venture and growth capital. Kinga Stanisławska, founder of European Women in VC and commissioner of the study, described this shortfall as a significant investment opening. She argued that, with suitable frameworks, venture is not merely an alternative but a route to diversification, robust returns and lasting impact. Linking patient pension money with Europe’s innovators, she said, creates a genuine win–win: stronger retirement outcomes for members alongside the growth Europe requires to remain competitive. According to the study, Nordic pension funds are the most engaged, allocating roughly US$400m to venture capital......
On 2 October 2025, LCP reported that a funding surplus left FTSE 100 companies’ pension arrangements at an aggregate 120% funding level as at the end of September 2025. However, it stressed that individual retirement savings plans differ markedly in practice, with funding positions spanning roughly 90% to above 150%. Jonathan Griffin, Partner at LCP, said that with strong funding and over £55bn of surplus across FTSE 100 schemes, the focus has decisively moved on from funding towards future-proofing and delivering value......
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This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...
Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...
I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...
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