On 13 October 2025, The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) launched the LGPS: Scheme improvements (access and protections) consultation. The consultation builds on the earlier Access and Fairness consultation and focuses on four key areas:
- Normal Minimum Pension Age
- Pension access for councillors and mayors
- Academies in the LGPS
- New Fair Deal
The Normal Minimum Pension Age proposals are summarised below:
- The NMPA is set to increase to 57 for registered pension schemes (including the LGPS) from 6 April 2028, following the Finance Act 2022.
- The consultation proposes updates to the LGPS Regulations to reflect this change and clarifies the provision of a Protected Pension Age (PPA) of 55 for members who were part of the LGPS before 4 November 2021, in line with their established right to access benefits at age 55.
- Members with existing PPAs between ages 50 and 55 under the Finance Act 2004 will retain these protections. In other cases, the NMPA will move from 55 to 57.
- The proposal states that members transferring into the LGPS with a PPA in a prior arrangement will not have such PPAs protected due to related complexities and costs.
- These proposals are expected to affect administration teams, software providers, and members by providing clarification about the application of the NMPA change. This clarity will support updates to processes, communications, and considerations regarding actuarial factors and assumptions.
