New statutory requirements for the Local Government Pension Scheme, which serves around 200,000 members across Kent, prompted a series of governance changes considered by a county council committee on 22 October 2026.
New government rules on the management of local authority pension funds prompted Kent County Council’s Selection and Member Services Committee to consider a package of governance reforms for the Kent Pension Fund when it met on 22 October 2026.
The Kent Pension Fund, for which Kent County Council is the administering authority, serves around 500 separate employers and nearly 200,000 members. Officers recommended that the committee note several changes required under the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (Governance) Regulations 2026 and the Pension Schemes Act 2026, which came into force on 30 June 2026.
Four areas of reform
The new statutory guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government sets out requirements in four areas: stronger knowledge and training requirements for committee members and key personnel; the creation of a statutory LGPS Senior Officer role; the creation of an Independent Person role; and a new requirement for Independent Governance Reviews.
Officers reported that a competitive interview process had been held to fill the Independent Person post, and that Kevin McDonald had been selected and was due to start with the Fund in November 2026. The Independent Person’s duties include scrutinising advice given to the Pension Fund Committee, monitoring performance against targets, and supporting consideration of the committee’s governance arrangements.
Senior officer appointment deadline
The paper noted that every administering authority must appoint a single LGPS Senior Officer by 31 December 2026. The role cannot be combined with the Section 151 officer role or the Head of Paid Service role. Officers recommended that the committee note that the appointment and its position within the organisational structure are reserved to the Head of Paid Service — the Chief Executive.
Independent governance reviews
Under Regulation 116A of the LGPS Regulations 2013, the Fund must complete its first statutory Independent Governance Review between 31 March 2025 and 31 March 2028. Officers said they intended to arrange the Fund’s first statutory review in 2027. Any resulting report must be sent to the administering authority and the Secretary of State, and the authority must publish both the report and an action plan in response to its recommendations.
Officers also recommended that the committee recommend to full County Council that updated Terms of Reference for the Pension Fund Committee be approved, reflecting the new training requirements and the new senior officer and independent person roles. Full Council is scheduled to meet on 5 November 2026.
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
- Kent County Council — Selection and Member Services Committee, 22 October 2026 (agenda and papers)
- Kent Pension Fund Governance Reforms — report to Selection and Member Services Committee, 22 October 2026 (Kent County Council)
- Pension Fund Committee Terms of Reference — proposed tracked-changes revision, October 2026 (Kent County Council)
Top image: illustrative, computer-generated. Illustrative AI-generated image of a local government committee chamber. This is not a photograph of any real Kent County Council room.