Peer Support

Introduction to Peer Support

The proposal for LGPS specific peer support – derived from the proposals in the Board’s original Good Governance Report and was included in the Government’s Fit for the future consultation and subsequent response issued on 29 May 2025.

Peer support is a constructive and supportive process with the central aim of supporting improvement. It is not an inspection, nor does it award a rating or score. It is delivered from the position of a critical friend to promote sector-led improvement.

Peer support is a learning process that helps funds assess current practice, recognise achievements and identify areas where further improvement or development may be beneficial. Experience from the Local Government Association (LGA) peer challenges show that peers often learn as much from the process as the organisation receiving the support.

Peer support involves exploring a fund’s ambitions, performance and delivery arrangements in a supportive way with fellow peers. This helps build a shared understanding by reflecting on the current position and future direction, and by identifying potential ways forward. There should be no surprises in the process; information is gathered on a non-attributable basis to encourage openness, honesty and sector-led improvement. If an administering authority wants to know how they are doing, who better to ask?

Route into peer support

It is recognised that funds may seek peer support in preparation for an Independent Governance Review (IGR), in response to recommendations arising from an IGR or for other reasons. While the IGR may be one route into peer support, it is not the only route: peer support and the IGR are separate processes, although they may be complementary. For example, peer support may assist a fund in responding to IGR recommendations or may itself be identified as a potential outcome of an IGR.

There are many other reasons for accessing peer support that are not linked to an IGR. It is therefore envisaged that funds may want to self-refer via their LGPS Senior Officer, Pension Committee or Local Pension Board.

Objectives of LGPS Peer Support

The following objectives have been identified for a LGPS peer support offer:

• To support LGPS administering authorities in strengthening governance arrangements through external peer insight
• To share, promote and embed good governance practice across the LGPS
• To facilitate access to an expert network of LGPS peers

Peer support project development

A dedicated working group, made up of fund officers from across England and Wales and a representative from The Pensions Regulator (TPR), has been established to support the Secretariat in developing the model and provide practitioner input. The Secretariat provides project updates to, and receives input from, the Compliance and Reporting Committee (CRC) on progress, risks and next steps, with key decisions then taken by the Board.