It is important to start planning for your future, especially when it comes to retirement. By working for RBFRS, you have access to a valuable benefit in the form of either a Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or Firefighter Pension.

Whether you are just starting your career or nearing retirement, it is important to understand your pension. On this page, you will find information on the different pensions, how they work, and what you can expect in terms of benefits.

Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge and resources you need to make informed decisions about your retirement and ensure that you have a secure financial future.

The LGA have launched a member website for FPS members. This website includes details about the different pension schemes and has a dedicated page for the age discrimination remedy: https://fpsmember.org/

Please visit this page for an update on the Second Options Exercise for the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2006 for Special Members.

Here is our Fire Pension Scheme Administration, Management, and Governance Strategy document.

The purpose of the Board is to assist Royal Berkshire Fire Authority in its role as a scheme manager of the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme.

The members of the Pensions Board at RBFRS are:

• Lincoln Ball (Chair) – Member Representative
• Steve Collins – Member Representative
• Lucy Greenway (Vice-Chair) – Employer Representative
• Jim Powell – Employer Representative

The Terms of Reference for the Pensions Board is available to read.

If you, or a dependant are not satisfied about a decision that has been made in relation to your pension, or about the service that you have received from us and want to make a formal complaint, please contact us first to see if we can resolve the matter. If you are still not satisfied you have the right to appeal.

If you are not satisfied with any decision affecting you, which has been made in relation to the scheme, you have the right to ask for it to be looked at again under the formal complaint procedure. You also have the right to use this procedure if a decision should have been made by your employer or administering authority, but it has not been. The complaint procedure’s official name is the Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure (IDRP). The IDRP is a two stage process in which the decision which has been made is reviewed by an independent person.

You can choose to have someone else represent you, and this representative can be whoever you like – a friend, relative, solicitor, union representative, etc.

An application for the consideration of a dispute must be made in writing within six months of having been made aware of the matter in dispute.

Stage one IDRP applications will be considered by the Head of Human Resources and Learning and Development, they will consider the matter in dispute and will, within two months, write either to confirm the decision or to notify of a delay with an expected date of a decision.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision at Stage One, you have recourse to Stage Two of the procedure. Application of Stage Two of the IDRP must be made in writing and must be made no later than six months after the appellant was notified of the Stage One decision.

Stage two IDRP applications will be considered by the Chief Fire Officer. The matter will be considered and appellants notified of a decision within two months of receipt of their application under Stage Two, or will be notified in writing of any delay and the expected date of a decision.

• Stage One Form

• Applicable Time Limits
• Internal Dispute Resolution FAQ
• Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure

Pension discretion refers to the ability of a pension administrator or scheme manager to make certain decisions regarding the administration of the pension. Links to each pension schemes discretions are below:

• 2015 Scheme
• 1992 Scheme
• 2006 Scheme
• Local Government Pension Scheme