'Government workers still waiting for pension payouts'

Some staff members were waiting six months before receiving their pension, the letter said

Local government workers are still waiting months to recieve their pensions, a union and council have said.

In a letter written to the West Midlands Pension Fund, Sandwell Unison and Sandwell Council said some staff members were waiting six months to receive their pension, which created "huge hardship issues".

Staff waited "unreasonable timescales to receive their pension payments, causing significant hardship and stress", the letter said.

In December, it was reported pension payments for about 2,000 people were delayed amid the fund's IT problems. The Wolverhampton based fund blamed an administration system installed in July 2023 and said the disruption had not been anticipated.

Previously, one retired police officer said he had not received a payment from the West Midlands Pension Fund in six months.

The pension fund is part of the Local Government Pension Scheme and works in partnership with the seven West Midlands Metropolitan District Councils: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

The union and council said it understood a new system can bring problems which take time to resolve but added the 12-month anniversary of the new system had been passed.

"Our employees are not receiving the experience or necessary information they need to be making such a significant financial decision," it said.

"We ask for reassurance that the delays will be rectified, communicated to employees and to be provided with a realistic timeline in writing as to when the backlog will be cleared, and normal timescales will be resumed."