A system blackout that began in February 2026 had left thousands of pension aggregation cases unprocessed by the end of June, the Kent Pension Fund Committee was told at its meeting on 29 September 2026, even as overall customer satisfaction reached 99%.

A system blackout affecting pension aggregation processing had left more than 2,600 cases outstanding by the end of June 2026, according to a service delivery report considered by Kent County Council’s Pension Fund Committee when it met on 29 September 2026.

Aggregation blackout impact

The blackout, which commenced on 9 February 2026, was described in the report as the single largest factor affecting operational key performance indicators (KPIs) and backlog growth during the first quarter of 2026/27. It prevented normal processing of aggregation cases and significantly restricted workflow across several pension administration functions.

By the end of the quarter, outstanding cases included: 1,263 A/B aggregation cases; 733 employer change cases; 582 post-2014 concurrent cases; and 37 deferred aggregation cases. Officers reported that urgent cases continued to be prioritised and that aggregation estimates generally remained within target during the period.

Separately, a historic backlog of 23,013 cases had been identified for clearance with the support of external assistance. By the end of the quarter, 5,274 cases — 22.92% of the total — had been completed. The introduction of new SCAPE (Superannuation Contributions Adjusted for Past Experience) factors had also prevented the processing of some interfund and aggregation cases.

Customer satisfaction and KPI performance

Despite these pressures, the report recorded strong overall performance. Customer satisfaction — measured through a ‘Voice of the Customer’ survey — rose from 98% in April and May to 99% in June. Between 95% and 98% of member queries were resolved at the first point of contact during the quarter.

The team handled approximately 4,000 telephone calls and triaged more than 14,400 emails during the quarter. General correspondence KPI performance remained above 97% throughout the period.

New starter processing achieved 100% KPI performance throughout May and June, attributed to a project automating this high-volume task. The estimates and divorce team delivered its strongest and most consistent performance, with active estimate KPIs consistently between 97% and 99%.

Wider service pressures

The report noted that regulatory changes, including the implementation of Access and Fairness regulations and changes to SCAPE factors, had generated additional work and disrupted processing across several areas. Staffing pressures, including annual leave, sickness and training commitments, also affected some teams during the quarter.

Digital engagement with the fund’s online services continued to grow, with total unique member records on the MyPension Online platform increasing by 4.1% over the quarter and the fund’s website recording over 41,000 visits.

The council had not published the minutes of the meeting at the time of writing, so the committee’s decision is not yet on the public record.

Sources

Top image: illustrative, computer-generated. Illustrative AI-generated image. This is not a photograph of any real Kent County Council office or the Kent Pension Fund administration centre.