About the Dorset County Pension Fund

The Dorset County Pension Fund is part of the national Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

From April 2019 the LGPS in Dorset is administered by Dorset Council, and prior to this by Dorset County Council. The Dorset County Pension Fund covers over 200 employers and over 80,000 members.

The LGPS is a defined benefit scheme. This means that benefits are determined by the regulations and are not affected by investment performance or market conditions.

Members include people who work in Local Authorities, including Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, higher and further education establishments, schools and other public bodies and service providers.

Membership is generally available to employees of participating employers who have contracts of employment of three months or more, are under the age of 75 and who are not eligible for membership of other statutory pension schemes.

Membership of the LGPS is therefore not open to teachers, police officers, firefighters, civil servants, etc., who have their own pension schemes.

Who runs the pension fund?

The Administering Authority

Dorset Council is the statutory administering authority for the Dorset County Pension Fund (the Fund), which is responsible for the administration of the LGPS within the geographical area of Dorset.

Pension Fund Committee

Dorset Council delegates the management of the Fund to the Pension Fund Committee. The Committee are responsible for making investment policy, overseeing how the scheme is run and monitoring performance.

Local Pension Board

The Local Pension Board oversees the management of the Fund. The Board helps ensure that the Fund is managed and administered effectively and efficiently and complies with guidance issued by government, the Pensions Regulator and the LGPS Advisory Board.

Fund Administrator

The day to day running of the Fund is delegated to the Fund Administrator who is the Executive Director (Corporate Development S151) of the Council and is responsible for implementing the decisions made by the Committee.

Supporting him are the Service Manager for Pensions, whose team administers all aspects of member records, pension benefits, employer liaison, member communications, etc. and the Service Manager for Treasury and Investments, whose team looks after the accounting and management information requirements of the Fund.