‘I want my money’: Outrage over delays to West Midlands Pension Fund grant

Retired local government workers have spoken of their concerns over months-long delays in pension payments.

Campaigners say thousands of people are waiting for their money, more than a year after a problematic new computer system was introduced.

The West Midlands Pension Fund, which manages the pensions of 800 public sector employers in the region, including local councils and some emergency services, has experienced problems since the July 2023 switch.

After promising to Resolving last year’s “teething problems”The fund has now told the BBC it is facing “increased demand for our services which is affecting the pace of recovery”.

Pensioners who have retired this year told Politics Midlands They had been waiting for months for their money.

TO Letter written by a high-ranking councillor And, signed jointly by three unions, it is estimated that thousands of recent retirees are affected.

Susan O Sullivan, 66, from West Bromwich, retired in May.

He had worked for Sandwell Council for 34 years, holding visitor services posts at Sandwell Valley Country Park.

Susan has contributed to her pension throughout her career, but has yet to receive any payment or a confirmed calculation of how much she is owed.

“It’s very disappointing. Instead of enjoying my retirement, I’m starting to panic. I don’t really want to worry about it.”

He had hoped to take his family on holiday this summer to celebrate, but without the pension payment he has not been able to keep that promise.

“I’ve been contributing all my working life. It’s my money and I really want it.”

She receives her state pension, which she can use to pay for essentials, but is worried about those in different financial circumstances.

“It is worrying for people who want to retire but do not have their public pension or savings to fall back on. So what do they do if they cannot rely on their private pension?”

West Midlands Pension Fund members include the conurbation’s seven local councils: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Sandwell Council’s deputy leader has written an open letter, co-signed by Unite, GMB and Unison, calling for urgent improvements.

Labour councillor Paul Moore said a number of the authority’s recent retirees were experiencing delays in receiving their pension.

“Anyone would expect that if they have paid their money, they will get their pension back in a timely manner.

“We are very concerned that there are former council employees who are experiencing difficulties.”

He added: “More than 12 months to resolve the situation seems too long. Situations like this should be resolved really quickly.”

“It is unacceptable that these problems continue. We need to see a clear timetable for resolving them.”

Conservative MP for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire Mike Wood told BBC Politics Midlands that a number of constituents had contacted his office seeking help.

“I have written to the letter. Frankly, I hope that Paul Moore and the unions will receive better responses to their letter than I have received.

“This is totally unacceptable for these citizens. In many cases they have not even received an estimate of how much their pension will be, let alone received the money.

“Teething problems are no longer a reasonable excuse, if they ever were. This needs to be sorted out and people need to receive the money they are owed.”

Labour MP for Birmingham Erdington Paulette Hamilton said she had also received several cases in her inbox.

“People need to be able to plan for their future. The government is monitoring what is happening. This has taken too long and we need to resolve it as soon as possible.”

Responding to the latest claims, a spokesperson for the scheme said: “Our service standards are improving but we are also facing increased demand for our services, which is impacting the pace of recovery.

“Further steps have been taken to address this issue and we will share further details and the outlook for our service recovery with our employers, union representatives and members later this month.”