Employer Newsletter - April 2026

The Government launched its "Fit for the Future" consultation in late 2024. This set out key reforms to investment management in the LGPS, outlining minimum standards of pooling for all LGPS pools. As a result, on the 1 April 2026, East Sussex Pension Fund became a shareholder in the Border to Coast Pensions Partnership (a FCA-authorised asset pool since 2018 and one of the largest LGPS pools in the UK). Their purpose is to make a difference for the LGPS by providing cost-effective, innovative, and responsible investment opportunities that deliver returns over the long-term. 

Explore more about our journey to join Border to Coast Pensions Partnership

The valuation to review the financial position of the Fund and to set appropriate contribution rates for each employer in the Fund for the period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029 is now complete.

Explore Funding Strategy Statement

Explore Valuation Report *

*Employer contribution rates are shown from page 36 onwards. 

Explore the valuation journey here

The 26/27 Employer Fact card is now available (click on image below).

Part of the government’s aims is to address the Gender Pension Gap within the Local Government Pension Scheme. There are new rules in place (effective from 1 April 2026), which include changes to authorised unpaid leave, together with a change to the definition of child-related leave and paternity leave. The Local Government Association have set out what these mean in pages 17 to 30 of the following:

Bulletin 276 Access and Fairness changes.

This document details the impact of these changes, examples of how to apply the new rules and more. Please note that the new provisions apply only to absences that start on or after 01/04/2026 – those that began earlier remain subject to the older provisions. 

If you are away from work :: LGPS – member friendly information

We are analysing the impact on our processes now and will look to amend any information affected by these recent changes as soon as we can. We will keep employers informed as we progress with this work. 

If you have any questions, please email the Employer Engagement Team (details provided below).

The LGPS Training and Development team have an in-person employer role training course available to book. This full day training course is aimed at employers participating in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

See the course programme for full details of the content.

This course will cover the LGPS employer related regulation changes arising from the government’s Access and Fairness Consultation which are effective from 1 April 2026.