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Report to: |
Governance Committee
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Date of meeting:
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15 July 2025 |
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By: |
Chief Finance Officer
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Title: |
East Sussex Pension Fund – Pension Board membership
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Purpose: |
To appoint a new employer representative and extend the term of office for an existing member representative on the Local Pension Board, in line with the constitutional requirement. |
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Governance Committee is recommended to:
1) Agree the appointment of Philippa Buckingham to the East Sussex Pension Board for a 4-year term (15 July 2025 to 14 July 2029); and
2) Agree to extend the term of Trevor Redmond for 2 years to 27 September 2027.
1. Background
1.1 The Local Pension Board of the East Sussex Pension Fund was set up to meet the requirements of the Public Service Pension Act 2013, requiring Funds in the Local Government Pension Scheme to have a Pension Board whose duties are to provide advice to the Administering Authority. The Pension Board is not a decision-making body. Under the East Sussex County Council Constitution appointments to the Pension Board are reserved to the Governance Committee.
1.2 The Pension Board consists of 3 employer representatives, 3 member representatives and an independent chair. There is currently a single vacancy on the Pension Board, for an employer representative.
1.3 Under the East Sussex County Council Constitution, appointments to the Pension Board, and the extension of terms for those members already appointed, are reserved to the Governance Committee.
2. Appointment of the Employer Representative
2.1 The approach to date, has been for one employer representative to be drawn from Brighton and Hove City Council as the largest employer outside of East Sussex County Council, one from the Borough and District Councils with the third coming from the wider pool of employers participating in the Pension Fund. However, the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Guidance on the creation and operation of Local Pension Boards in England and Wales requires that all employers within a Fund must have equal opportunity to be nominated for the role of employer or member representative through an open and transparent process. To that end all Fund employers were contacted in April 2025 and asked to provide expressions of interest to be considered for the vacant position. The Fund then received 2 expressions of interest by the deadline of 9 May 2025. One from an academy trust and the other from an admitted body employer within the Fund. Both then met with the Pension Board Chair and the Interim Deputy Head of Pensions to discuss the role and to ensure suitability and full awareness of requirements, particularly relating to training and knowledge.
2.2 Having demonstrated a well-rounded understanding of the role, a genuine interest in the responsibilities it entails together with an awareness of current issues affecting the East Sussex Pension Fund and the LGPS, the chair and officers are recommending Philippa Buckingham of Beacon Academy is appointed to the Pension Board as an employer representative.
2.3 Pension Board members are usually appointed for a term of 4 years, with Governance Committee being able to extend this period for 2 years without a full re-appointment process being required.
3. Request to Extend Term of Office
3.1 On 27 September 2025, the term of office for Trevor Redmond (Member Representative) is due to come to an end, his appointment having been made for a relatively short period of 2 years from 28 September 2023. Trevor has expressed a desire to continue in the role and so wishes for consideration to be given to extending his term of office.
3.2 Given the short term of office granted on his initial appointment and a wish to continue in the role, the Governance Committee are recommended to agree to a 2-year extension to the term of office, as permitted under the East Sussex County Council Constitution.
3.3 Of the existing appointments, two will expire in July 2027 (one Member Representative and one Employer Representative), although subject to their wishes and the agreement of the Governance Committee, both could be extended for up to a further two years. By extending the appointment of Trevor Redmond, his term of office will expire two months later, without the option to extend. Whilst not ideal to have the term of office for three members of the Board scheduled to terminate within a period of months, officers take the view that this can be mitigated by way of extensions where appropriate whilst providing stability on the Pension Board for the short to medium term.
4. Conclusion
4.1 The Governance Committee is recommended to agree the appointment of Philippa Buckingham to the Pension Board as an Employer Representative for a period of 4 years (15 July 2025 to 14 July 2029) and also agree to the extension of the term of office for Trevor Redmond as a Member Representative until 27 September 2027.
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IAN GUTSELL |
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Chief Finance Officer |
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Contact Officer: |
Susan Greenwood, Head of Pensions |
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Email: |
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