The Director delivered a report to update Members on administration performance and issues for the period from 1st January 2023 to 31st March 2023.

It was clarified the figures in the table at the top of page 144, do not tie up with the figures shown in the table at the bottom of the page. This is due to some individual case types not being included in the larger table due to the sheer number of processes involved.

There has been fall in the performance of case work processing. There has not yet been a corresponding increase in customer dissatisfaction, although some trend is present. There has also not been a marked increase in customer complaints.

The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions advised he has held talks with managers within the service on how the backlog situation occurred and the impact on processing other case work. A recovery plan is being produced which will include plan to ensure the situation does not happen again.

Much of this will be dependant on the pensions administration software being made fit for purpose and then utilising it in a more effective way. A more strategic approach about the quality of information we hold in the system will also be required.

A capacity planning review is being undertaken by the Service Manager – Benefits to ensure our resources are being utilised effectively. This will conclude by the end of May.

How the Authority reports on performance also requires review to make it more succinct and focussed. This will form part of the Administration Action Plan which will include:

· Better use of IT.

· Better allocation of work.

· Increasing staff training and understanding skills gaps.

· Prevention measures to avoid a repeat situation.

· Ensuring adequate staffing levels.

An action plan is expected to be reported to the Authority in June.

N Doolan-Hamer questioned the plans to clear the Aggregation case backlog. It was previously reported a team had been set up to deal with these, but it now appears it will fall into this review. The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions advised the pensions admin system contains a function for bulk processes to be run and work is being undertaken by our Systems Team to get that working. Currently Aggregations are being dealt with via overtime for staff. N Doolan-Hamer questioned why this course of action was only just being considered now, when the problem has been known about for a while. The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions replied we have allowed a situation to develop where the short comings of the pensions admin system have been tolerated and internal workarounds have been used. A change of focus is needed to ensure the system is working as intended.

N Doolan-Hamer asked if staff who do the casework have been consulted about improvement initiatives. The Director replied that as the plan moves forward and becomes more detailed, more staff will become more involved.

D. Webster asked if there are still unfulfilled tasks Civica have not delivered on the actions we have previously requested. The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions replied the gap is narrowing, but yes, there are still two outstanding issues.

The Director added that there had been previous discussions with the Board on a potential change of administration system and while this remains an option the assessment of the balance of risk involved had changed significantly in recent months.

K Richardson stated that if the system is not fit for purpose, then it should be changed. The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions replied that all the functionality we need is there, we now need to make it work for us.

K Richardson requested confirmation the action plan would be presented to the Board and include timescales and objectives so they can hold officers to account. The Director confirmed that it would.

The Chair asked if the root cause was a software or lack of staff problem. The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions replied it is a combination of both.

R. Nurennabi noted that recruiting staff with LGPS skills and knowledge is very challenging and new staff require training. What impact will that have on timescales of the action plan? The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions stated we have been fortunate to recruit staff who do have some previous experience but there will still be some on the job training. This will necessitate more experienced staff being removed from case working to mentor. An allowance for this will be built into the action plan. Recruitment of staff for the systems team is more problematic.

The Director added training and development needs to be built in on an ongoing basis so a more balanced skills/knowledge base can be developed.

K. Richardson asked if software is updated in respect to the McCloud Judgement and Pensions Dashboard? The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions confirmed that it is updated as new information emerges. An internal project team is in place to prepare for new legislation.

The Independent Advisor asked about the staffing level section of the action plan. Did the previous Resilience Report considered by the Authority address the issues? The Director confirmed the report referenced was presented to the Staffing Committee in October and deliberately deferred looking at Pensions Officer and Customer Services Officer levels until the capacity planning exercise had finished. Once the data is available, then appropriate recommendations for action will be made.

The Independent Advisor sought confirmation that efficiency targets would be included in the Action Plan, to highlight how quickly things could be done as opposed to quickly they are being done. The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions confirmed it would and comparative data will be used, while making allowances for training and development processes. Another focus will be on the checking processes to ensure it is adding value to the process.

The Director added that expected processing times for case work will also need to be introduced. This will require considerable thought on how to introduce this and will be in consultation with the Trade Union. This will also require Team Leaders to work in different ways and exercise their responsibilities differently. The Interim Assistant Director – Pensions stated that the data on individual performance would be used to facilitate training plans and development objectives.