Councillor Members
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is a statutory, funded pension scheme. As such it is very secure because its benefits are defined and set out in law. The LGPS is contracted-out of the State Second Pension (S2P) and must, in general, provide benefits at least as good as most members would have received had they been members of S2P.
Highlights of the LGPS for councillors are:
- a tax-free lump sum when you retire
- a pension based on your career average pay
- the ability to increase your pension by paying additional voluntary contributions
- voluntary retirement from age 60
- retirement from age 50 with your authority's consent
- an ill health pension from any age
- a death in service lump sum of two times career average pay
- a widow's, widower's or civil partner's pension
- children's pensions
- the index-linking of benefits to ensure that they keep pace with inflation.
Who can join?
The LGPS is available to all councillors and elected mayors of an English county council, district council or London borough council or of a Welsh county council or county borough council who are offered membership of the Scheme under the council's scheme of allowances and who are under age 75. Those who are offered membership are eligible councillors.
If you have been offered membership of the Scheme it will be for you to decide whether or not to opt to join the Scheme. If you make an election to join you will become a member of the LGPS from the beginning of the first pay period following the receipt of your option.
For more information on Scheme please view our A Councillor's Guide to the LGPS[pdf - 434kb].
