Results summary
Thank you to everyone who completed the 2024 survey. We had a response rate of nearly 20%. It is important that we understand what we are doing well as a Fund and what we can improve. This web page summarises the overall results. There is a separate paper which shows the detailed responses to each question (link at bottom of this page). In the future we will only be conducting all-member surveys every two years.
Your customer service experience
Over half of pensioners rated the overall service and support provided by the Fund as very positive, 25% choosing positive and 22% neutral. Only 2% of members had a negative experience.
There were a couple of specific areas where members highlighted that they needed support.
Early notification of how much pensions would increase by in April each year and pension payment dates for 2025. This information is on our main website.
Pensioners | East Sussex Pension Fund
Pension payments | East Sussex Pension Fund
Note: The 2024 survey was only issued to members who had 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 to invite 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.
The vast majority found the registration process either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat easy.’ However, some users have experienced problems with registration and passwords. We will look at all parts of the user journey and see if we can make any improvements.
We do have a support page on our website to help. Alternatively you can contact us by email 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.
| 'My Pension' Features | Percentage of respondents who have used the feature |
| Viewed your P60 | 54.82% |
| Viewed your payslip | 52.01% |
| Not used any features yet | 24.14% |
| Checked/changed your contact details | 23.22% |
| Manage your beneficiaries | 22.66% |
| Calculate benefits when you pass away | 9.92% |
| Checked/changed your bank details | 8.30% |
There was some feedback that payslips and P60’s are not downloadable/printable. You can in fact download them (as a PDF) from ‘My Pension.’
Either of the options highlighted in red below (for both payslips and P60s) will allow you to download a copy.
Website and communication
How often we communicate is always a difficult conundrum and the results in 2024 mirror those in 2023.
| How often would you like the Pension Fund to communicate with you? | Percentages of respondents |
| Monthly | 9.71% |
| Every 3 months | 26.09% |
| Every 6 months | 29.55% |
| Annually | 33.88% |
| Less often | 0.77% |
Currently we issue one newsletter per year for pensioners. This is quite standard across other local LGPS authorities, so we will continue to do so in 2025. Please ensure you have provided us with 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 that affects members of the Fund).
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 clearly. Below are the results.
| Aspect of communication rated | Very good | Good | Fair | Poor | Very poor |
| Easy to read | 44.67% | 43.58% | 10.52% | 1.00% | 0.23% |
| Easy to understand | 39.39% | 44.81% | 13.57% | 1.96% | 0.27% |
| Useful | 40.39% | 44.72% | 12.84% | 1.73% | 0.32% |
We also want to make it clear that having your payslips and P60s only available via ‘My Pension’ is not the only option. If you prefer postal communications, that is okay.
Either send us an email to [email protected] or write to us at Pension Services, East Sussex County Council, County Hall, St Anne's Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1UE and we’ll update our records.
We received a lot of other new ideas which we will work through to see if they are possible to implement. Thanks again for your feedback.
You were asked to select the top three ways you would like to receive information on your pension. It was pleasing that emails/newsletters and ‘My Pension’ came out of top as these are currently our default options. As mentioned above, every member of the Fund retains the right to have information sent in the post if that is their preference. Some of the other options chosen are interesting (for example text messaging) and certainly something the Fund can do some due diligence on for the future.
|
Options |
Percent |
|
Emails/newsletters |
93.03% |
|
Visit 'My Pension' |
60.56% |
|
Post |
39.48% |
|
Text message |
30.24% |
|
Visting the main ESPF website |
19.13% |
|
An app |
12.66% |
|
Videos |
1.37% |
|
Social media |
0.82% |
|
Events and training |
0.77% |
The Fund has two websites to support members. It is important to distinguish between the two.
'My Pension’ is where you will find information personal to you – your payslips/P60’s, address, bank details etc. Every pensioner has the opportunity to access this information online.
The East Sussex Pension Fund website provides generic information for all of our members and employers on the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Only 42% of pensioners surveyed were aware of 2. above. 97% who have used the East Sussex Pension Fund website found it extremely or somewhat easy to understand the content and find what they were looking for.
If you haven’t had a look, the best place to start is on the dedicated pensioners page where you will find details of pension increases, pension payment dates, frequently asked questions, and an explanation of what happens when you die.
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.