Your customer service experience

Just over half of members who completed the survey rated their customer service experience in the positive category, 44% cited neutral with only 5% saying they had a negative experience.

We had a few questions about how to increase your pension. If you need more information, we suggest you view the webpage below.

Increase my pension | East Sussex Pension Fund

We were also asked what happens when you leave the Scheme. If you leave the Scheme before you retire, you can choose what to do with your pension. There are different options available to you depending on how long you have been in the scheme and your age at leaving.

Explore ‘Leaving the Scheme’ here

Note: The 2024 survey was only issued to members with a registered email address with the Fund, not those who receive postal only communication. Some of the results will be reflective of this and may be tilted as a result. From 2026 we will look at ways of inviting all members to participate.  

‘My Pension’ – member self-service website

In July 2024, the Fund launched an updated version of ‘My Pension’ which we believe will empower users to access pension information confidently and securely, via a modern, easy to navigate website.

Around 75% of members were aware of the launch. If you haven’t yet registered and would like to do so, please follow the link below.

Register for ‘My Pension’.

We also have a support page available on our website.

Find out more about ‘My Pension’

The majority found the registration process either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat easy.’ However, some users experienced problems with registration and passwords. For anyone experiencing issues, please view the support page above, email us at [email protected]  or call the ‘My Pension’ Helpline (0300 200 1027) for assistance.

It's great news that those who have registered are making use of the features available.

We continue to upgrade ‘My Pension.’ In the last few weeks we have added a ‘Voluntary retirement’ calculator for contributing members of the Fund. This allows members to get a predication of their retirement income and tax-free cash at specific ages. Thank you to those who provided ideas and feedback. We will take this into account in future ‘My Pension’ updates.

We have three videos available which provide more detail on how the calculators on ‘My Pension’ work:

Watch Deferred Benefit Calculator video

Watch Retirement Planner video

Watch Voluntary Retirement Calculator video

Website and communication

The Fund has two websites to support members. It is important to distinguish between the two.

1. ‘My Pension’ – this is where you will find online information personal to you – your annual benefit statement, personal details, benefit calculators etc.

2. The main East Sussex Pension Fund website – this is your go-to place if you need information on how the LGPS pension works, forms and guides, investment information and so much more. If you have a question, the answer probably lies here - www.eastsussexpensionfund.org. The website also provides a link to access ‘My Pension.’

There is a specific area of the ESPF website dedicated to members who are currently contributing to the Scheme:

Explore your pension/paying in page 

For members who are no longer paying in (but have not yet retired) there is also a dedicated area:

Explore your pension/no longer paying in page

We also have the following guides available to support members:

Explore brief guide to the Local Government Pension Scheme

Explore planning for retirement guide

Explore AVCs and the Local Government Pension Scheme guide

How often we communicate is always a difficult conundrum and the results in 2024, mirror those in 2023. Currently we issue two newsletters per year for contributing members and one per year for members who are no longer paying in. This is quite standard across other local LGPS authorities, so we will continue to do so in 2025. Please ensure we have your email address if you want to receive these.

We do of course issue other communication where important messages need to be given to members (for example a change in legislation).

We were keen to see whether our communications are clear and useful. In the main, we are doing okay but will be putting extra emphasis on Plain English communications and ensuring content is ‘what members want’ throughout 2025. Unfortunately, the legislation we have to follow does mean that sometimes communications are quite technical. But where we can, we will work on communicating more clearly. See below for results.

What topics are important to you?

We asked you the question ‘How important is it to you to hear about the following topics?’. Shown below are how members answered (most to least important)

1. The value of your pension
2. How your pension is calculated
3. The retirement process
4. Pension legislation and regulation
5. How the Fund is invested (including responsible investment)
6. How to make additional contributions
7. Training opportunities

We will ensure that the topics chosen for our newsletters in 2025 reflect your needs. We’ll also keep you up to date with any changes to the LGPS and provide helpful reminders on things you should be doing to remain engaged with your pension. Thank you for your feedback.

How you want to receive information

You were asked to select the top three ways you’d like to receive information on your pension. It was pleasing that emails/newsletters and ‘My Pension’ came out on top as these are our default options.

Every member retains the right to have information sent in the post. Contact us should you want to receive information in this way. Some of the other options chosen are interesting (for example text messaging/app) and certainly something the Fund can do some due diligence on for the future.

Investment

We received a number of comments about our approach to responsible investment, including exposure to fossil fuels. The primary objective of the Fund is to provide pension benefits for members and their beneficiaries when they fall due. To do this the Fund is under a legal obligation to make investment decisions that generate the best financial return, balancing risk and return after taking proper advice.

The Fund invests in line with regulations and its investment strategy statement which includes its Statement of Responsible Investment Principals. The Fund only invests indirectly through investment managers and not in any company directly. It has a strong focus on responsible investment in its stewardship of assets and takes climate risk and environmental, social and governance factors into account when selecting investment managers. The Fund has removed fossil fuel companies from its equity allocation within the investment portfolio and has also reduced the exposure in other parts of the portfolio where there was no material financial detriment to the Fund. Instead the Fund has a focus on investing in climate solutions, greener revenues, and resource efficiency.

Find out more about the Fund’s investment strategy

Further support

Call:     0300 200 1022

Email:  [email protected] .

We received comments from members who wanted a reply to questions they had raised but hadn’t given us any personal details – contact us if you still need help. You will need to give us your National Insurance number and name.

Detailed results

Detailed results to each question posed can be accessed by clicking on this link.