Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service Local Pension Board - 6 May 2025

The Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service Local Pension Board confirmed that the minutes of its 28 January 2025 meeting were correctly recorded, subject to a correction of job titles, and resolved that they be signed by the Chairman. No declarations of interest were made.

During the business update, the Pension Benefits Manager reported that the IDRP policy, currently embedded within the broader Discretions Policy, will be revised along with the Discretions Policy itself. The manager also addressed the missed statutory deadline of 31 March 2025 for issuing Remedial Service Statements (RSS) to some eligible firefighters. A report was submitted to the regulator where required, and the scheme manager exercised discretion to extend the deadline in cases of unavoidable delay, such as pending guidance, the Matthews exercise, or the secondary assignment exercise. These extensions were not recorded as breaches.

The manager further explained an appeal by a firefighter who had been excluded from the Matthews Second Option Exercise after being contacted in the first exercise. The appeal concluded that the records did not adequately demonstrate contact, leading to the firefighter’s inclusion in the Second Options exercise and confirmation of that inclusion. Record‑keeping procedures have been strengthened since the first exercise.

Finally, the board noted that all relevant pension schemes must integrate with the Pensions Dashboards ecosystem by 31 October 2026, although the government has not yet confirmed the public launch date. The board resolved, on the proposal of Philip Martin and seconded by Deborah Goodreid, to note the updates in the business report and to seek any necessary clarifications or assurances from officers.