Working group to consider pensions challenge

13 July 2020

A working group of West Midlands Police Federation representatives has been set up to consider the current situation whereby some members are in the Leigh Day pensions challenge and others have now joined the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) group action.

West Midlands Police Federation’s Branch Council held its regular meeting on Friday (10 July) and the pensions issue was discussed at length. It was agreed to establish the working group to look at the two pension challenges in more depth. The working group, which it is hoped will meet for the first time later this month, will report its initial findings to the next Branch Council meeting in September.

More than 1,800 West Midlands officers have applied to join the PFEW group action for compensation after the introduction of the 2015 pension scheme. The deadline for submitting applications was originally this Friday (17 July) but this has now been extended to 31 July to give Federation branches more time to manage the high level of enquiries they are receiving.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) announced in May that it was launching a compensation claim against the Government on behalf of affected members who suffered any ‘injury to feeling’ as a result of the transitional protections afforded to some officers when the 2015 pension scheme was introduced.

The Government has accepted that it must rectify any detriment suffered as a result of those transitional protections. Work is ongoing as to how that remedy will be applied across the whole of the public sector pension schemes, including the police service.

The PFEW launched its action to ensure those who have not already submitted a claim in respect of the discrimination are also considered for any compensation the court considers appropriate for the distress caused by the transitional protections.

Contact West Midlands Police Federation secretary Steve Grange to find out more.