The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has published the results of a survey of its pension scheme members relating to their readiness to securely integrate with the pensions dashboards. Of those surveyed, 90% of schemes said they were either ‘very confident’ or ‘moderately confident’ in their ability to connect with the dashboards, with nine in 10 confident they will meet their deadlines for regulatory compliance. However, challenges remain, almost 50% of respondents had concerns surrounding data quality, which includes the formatting and standardisation of data, consolidating data from multiple sources, ensuring real-time data updates, and complying with data protection regulations. A further area of concern for 40% of schemes is how to appropriately respond to members’ enquiries after using dashboards.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) released survey results on 20 March 2025 showing defined benefit pension schemes are reviewing their endgame strategies amid £239bn aggregate surplus. The survey of 96 PLSA members found 56% of scheme sponsors are interested in surplus extraction, with 55% of those planning to invest it in their business. The PLSA advocates for strict rules on surplus release, including funding level criteria and low dependency on sponsoring employers. The government has indicated plans to relax rules on surplus usage, while 73% of respondents believe extraction should remain at trustee discretion.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has published the results of a survey undertaken with members of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) over their attitudes towards on-going and potential future LGPS regulatory and policy initiatives. The results of the survey which are to be presented at the PLSA’s Local Authority Conference, show that members of the LGPS expect continued reform and rapid change to the LGPS in the future. Respondents to the survey on regulatory initiatives believe that the greatest impact over the next 10 years is likely to come from pensions dashboards, the green transition and LGPS consolidation.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has released its 2024–25 retirement living standards, illustrating decreased minimum retirement costs at £21,600 for two-person households and £13,400 for one-person households, primarily due to reduced energy prices. In contrast, the moderate and comfortable standards depict modest increases in line with inflation. The update further modernises the language by replacing ‘single’ and ‘couple’ with ‘one-person’ and ‘two-person’ households, thereby recognising diverse living arrangements in retirement. Detailed estimates on the annuity fund sizes required to achieve these standards are also provided, underscoring the advantages of shared living costs and offering a practical guide for personalised retirement planning.

Law360: The government must clarify the scope of the requirements on defined benefit pension schemes following the Court of Appeal ruling in Virgin Media Ltd v NTL Pension Trustees, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has warned, after its members registered a surge in queries from scheme members.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has urged the government to announce a Pensions Bill at the State Opening of Parliament. Nigel Peaple, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the PLSA, encourages the government to introduce a Bill that would ‘quickly progress any recommendations arising from its pensions review and pick up important areas of policy reform already initiated by the previous government’. The PLSA adds that the Bill should include necessary legislation to require schemes to provide more support to savers at retirement, grant the Pensions Regulator with wind-up powers under the proposed value for money framework, and create the defined benefit Superfunds regime. The PLSA also recommends that the Bill include a timeline for the gradually increasing minimum automatic enrolment contributions from the current level of 8% of a band of earnings to 12% of total earnings.

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The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has announced a national programme aimed at ending long-term rough sleeping, backed by £340 million in additional funding. The investment represents the first phase of a five-year programme intended to provide 1,200 homes and intensive support for at least 3,000 people. Delivery of the programme will be led by local leaders, including mayors and councils, supported by central government. The programme is also anticipated to reduce pressure on the NHS and criminal justice system by cutting repeated crisis interventions. Further steps are expected to be set out ahead of autumn 2026.

The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has appointed a new Cabinet including John Healey as Chancellor of the Exchequer, with Shabana Mahmood continuing as Home Secretary and Ed Miliband the new Foreign Secretary. Ellie Reeves MP is the new Attorney General, and Alex Norris MP is the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have announced a £442 million package intended to provide rough sleepers with a route off the streets by Christmas 2026. The funding will support emergency accommodation and practical help with housing, health and other needs, alongside longer-term measures intended to prevent people returning to rough sleeping. The package comprises £340 million announced in July 2026 and an additional £102 million from uncommitted MHCLG budgets. Of the additional funding, with £8.4 million will be directed to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, bringing total allocations announced for 100 community projects to £47 million over three years.

A 20% cut in business rates for some hospitality sector businesses in England is to be set out at the next Budget, the UK Government has announced.

The Prime Minister (PM) has announced plans to restructure the UK state administration, including the abolition of National Health Service (NHS) England as an arms-length body to bring NHS management under direct government control. The reforms aim to reduce business compliance costs by 25% and achieve £45bn in efficiency savings through digital transformation. The PM also outlined intentions to reduce regulatory barriers in planning and construction, including changes to statutory consultation requirements and legal challenge processes.