Pensions advice

The Pensions Shared Service is responsible for the benefits administration of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) on behalf of the Council and any admitted or scheduled bodies whose employees are part of the LGPS.

The pension records for all pension scheme members are held by the Pensions Shared Service.

All queries regarding London Borough Waltham Forest LGPS pension benefits should be directed to the Wandsworth team using the details shown below:

Pension contribution bands 2024 to 2025 (PDF)

As required by the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013, the London Borough of Waltham Forest Pension Fund has introduced an Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP) for resolving disputes which may arise from any decision made by the Council that affects members’/beneficiaries’ pension rights. The document below gives full details of the procedure.

Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDF)

• Statement of administering authority discretions policies (PDF)
• Statement of employing authority discretions policies (PDF)

Newsletters are provided quarterly by The Pensions Shared Service and can be found on their website.

2022 Funding Strategy Statement (PDF)

Waltham Forest Council has a strong track record in working to ensure our pension fund investments are ethically responsible. At the same time, as the borough’s largest employer, we have a fundamental legal obligation to provide for a financially secure retirement for thousands of Waltham Forest residents – from care workers to cleaners and from teachers to housing officers. 

The Waltham Forest Pension Committee oversees the management of the Waltham Forest Pension Fund. It sets the fund’s investment strategy, monitors performance and risks, and ensures the fund is well-governed and meets its fiduciary duties.

Although the Pension Committee is responsible for the strategic direction of the fund, it cannot simply invest however it wants.

This is because Waltham Forest, like all London boroughs, is part of the London Collective Investment Vehicle (London CIV). The London CIV is a pooling arrangement created by the UK Government that brings together the 32 London borough pension funds to invest collectively. This means we are unable to act unilaterally and limited by the structure of the pooled London CIV. Yet we have consistently led the way in this space at a national level, and we have made a clear difference to the way in which London local government as a whole manages its funds:

• we were the first Local Government Pension fund in the UK to commit to fully divesting from fossil fuels. Following our decision, it took five years of detailed analysis and meticulous work to manage the complex transition.
• we were pioneers behind local government net zero commitments, setting a target for our investment portfolio to reach net zero by 2050 — a long-term pathway requiring phased implementation.
• in 2024 we were the first pension fund in the UK to commit to divesting from the arms trade, a decision rooted in our belief that our investments must not contribute to global harm or instability. This complex work is well underway: we have formally agreed a clear definition of the arms trade, engaged with the London CIV on viable portfolio options, and are now progressing detailed financial analysis to ensure this transition is delivered responsibly and without detriment to the fund.
• we were the first and only UK pension fund to formally call out companies complicit in human rights abuses and in any occupied territory or conflict zone worldwide. This has been placed on record as a core expectation for how our investments should be managed.

Since July 2024 we have consistently pressed the London CIV to implement exclusion policies to ensure our members’ money is not indirectly contributing to human rights abuse and armed conflict. We can confirm that the CIV has formally responded to us to advise it is now developing ethical frameworks for all 32 boroughs to review, which will subsequently inform the creation of future investment options and exclusions whilst aiming to balance strong financial returns. 

The Pension Committee is committed to progressing our ethical investment aims, as demonstrated by the in-depth discussions at every committee meeting. We have been open and honest with local campaigners, residents, and those who rely on the pension fund about our work and have been clear that serious structural change takes time and careful planning.

We will continue to report on this work and provide regular updates here so that residents can see our progress.