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Can I Join?

To become an employer of the Cheshire Pension Fund you will need to be:

  • A body listed in Schedule 2 of the LGPS Regulations 2013.
  • Organisations such as county councils, district councils, academies and further and higher education corporations are named in the LGPS regulations as scheme employers and automatically participate in the scheme.
  • Administering authorities can admit organisations that are not automatically scheme employers but who satisfy certain other conditions. These are called ‘admission bodies’.

 

Academies

  • It is a legal requirement for an academy to participate in the LGPS under Schedule 2 Part 1 of the LGPS Regulations 2013. This enables continuity of pension rights for non-teaching employees TUPE transferring to the academy.

  • By adopting academy status you become a stand-alone new employer in the pension fund and all eligible non-teaching employees have a statutory right to be members of the LGPS should they chose to.

  • All employees that are not currently entered into the LGPS must be brought into the scheme at the point of transfer and new starter notification issued to the pension fund.

  • In addition to the staff who transfer, any new employees who are contractually eligible for membership of the LGPS and who have a contract of employment of 3 months or more should also be auto enrolled into the scheme.

If you are a school and are considering converting to an Academy, please visit our Academies page.

 

Town and Parish Councils

Town and parish councils can decide which individuals or positions are eligible for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). These are called designating bodies. They are able to use the LGPS as a pension scheme for their employees, but they don’t have to do so.

Employees of a designating body can only join the LGPS if their employer nominates that member of staff or their role as eligible for membership of the scheme.

There must be a majority agreement at a meeting of the council to elect to become an employer in Cheshire Pension Fund.  Following this we will require a copy of the minutes of the meeting including the name, class of employees or roles of employees designated to join.

Cheshire Pension Fund operates a pooling of town and parish councils for contribution rates. Should a resolution be passed to join, we’ll provide you with details of the rate payable as a new LGPS employer.  This pooled contribution rate is subject to a triennial valuation when the rate is reviewed and set for the following 3 years.

You can learn more by visiting our Town and Parish Council pages.

 

Admission bodies 

These fall into two categories:

  • A body that has a community of interest with local government employers.  It is a ‘not for profit’ organisation and is admitted to the Fund by way of an admission agreement.
  • A company that has taken on work on behalf of a scheme employer by means of a contract or other arrangement and is admitted to the Fund by way of an admission agreement.

Employees of an admission body can join the LGPS if the admission agreement allows it. 

You can learn more by visiting our Admission body page.