Pension concerns were top of the agenda when our CEO, Colin Longstaff, and Chair, Darren Adams, met with Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear.
It was a productive first meeting, which covered a number of key issues, including the widely reported problems with Capita as administrators of the Alpha pension scheme.
Darren Adams said, “Joining the scheme will ultimately be positive for our members, but we have serious concerns about how it’s currently being administered. We’re aware of reports of delayed payments and broken communication tools affecting thousands of civil servants.
He continued: “Around 100 of our members are already in the scheme, and the rest of us will be joining them. The Minister recognised our concerns, and we understand issues with the Alpha scheme are being discussed at a wider government level. Like a great many other people, we deserve answers.”
Also on the Federation’s agenda were cessation, service expansion, and the future of policing in relation to Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Colin Longstaff said, “It was important for us to impress on the minister that cessation and redeployment don’t just impact officers. These situations have a huge impact on families, too, especially given how many are reliant on dual incomes these days.”
Lord Vallance acknowledged the broader impact of site closures on officers and their families and agreed on the importance of maintaining a stable workforce through future projects, including new SMR locations.
Darren Adams concluded: “Overall, it was an important first engagement. We highlighted the bespoke nature of our role as a specialist armed force and have invited Lord Vallance to visit Griffin Park to see that first hand, but our main priority is to get answers to questions about the pension scheme.”