Redundancy in Local Government

woolly_wombat

ali-t wrote: »

Anyone over 50 in my local authority. Enhanced pension package and as long as there will be savings by letting you go, you are pretty much guaranteed to get it.

The minimum retirement age in the lgps has been 55 since March 2010.

ali-t

woolly_wombat wrote: »

The minimum retirement age in the lgps has been 55 since March 2010.

I don't know much about pension regulations but 50 is the age it was offered from and the age that many took it from. The text below is from a newspaper article about it

The policy adopted last year gave employees aged 50-plus the chance to retire. Their years of pensionable service were increased on a sliding scale, depending on how long they had worked.
Anyone who had completed at least 30 years had five years added, while those who had been employed for less than 10 years received one extra year.
Redundancy payments of up to 30 weeks' pay, limited to the statutory maximum of £380 per week, were offered to other workers who were ineligible for the enhanced pension.

Jarndyce

The over-50 schemes are one-off packages designed to clear out numbers of staff to meet the government's cuts targets. These vary from LA to LA.

The earliest retirement age in the LGPS is 55.

What happens in other LAs, or in the NHS, is irrelevant. The OP needs to find out what is on offer in his own LA, as advised at the beginning of the thread.

woolly_wombat

Jarndyce wrote: »

The over-50 schemes are one-off packages designed to clear out numbers of staff to meet the government's cuts targets. These vary from LA to LA.

The earliest retirement age in the LGPS is 55.

What happens in other LAs, or in the NHS, is irrelevant. The OP needs to find out what is on offer in his own LA, as advised at the beginning of the thread.

Would you mind revealing your source of information please Jarndyce. Thanks.

As a member of the lgps in my early fifties I have been keeping a very close eye on developments over the last few years.

I have just double checked the lgps website (lgps.org.uk) which states that:

"EMPLOYEES IN ENGLAND AND WALES

Early retirement –

you can choose to retire from age 60 and receive your benefits immediately, although they may be reduced for early payment. It’s also possible to retire from age 55 and receive your benefits immediately, provided you have your employer's consent or you are made redundant or retired in the interests of business efficiency"

Whereas:

"EMPLOYEES IN SCOTLAND

Early retirement –
you can choose to retire from age 60 and receive your benefits immediately, although they may be reduced for early payment. It’s also possible to retire from age 55 and receive your benefits immediately, provided you have your employer's consent or you are made redundant or retired in the interests of business efficiency. If you were in the LGPS on 5 April 2006 you may have an earlier age when benefits can be paid on redundancy / business efficiency retirement"

Clicking on the link in the Scotland text reveals a minimum retirement age of 50 in Scotland only.

As a member of school support staff in England, I have to admit to being less than impressed to discover that a contemporary in Scotland could be retired at 50, whereas it is 55 in England and Wales!

woolly_wombat

woolly_wombat wrote: »

Clicking on the link in the Scotland text reveals a minimum retirement age of 50 in Scotland only.

Just to clarify, according to to the lgps website the minimum retirement age is now 55 in England Wales and Scotland, except for employees in Scotland who were in the lgps on 5 April 2006 (who have a minimum retirement age of 50).

Perhaps an lgps expert could shed more light on this?

Jarndyce

My source is my own knowledge of the scheme, as confirmed by your website link. I was assuming, admittedly, that the OP is in England/Wales, as I am. I don't have any knowledge of the terms that apply in Scotland or elsewhere.

tara66_2

Hi if you are being made redundant on a compulsory basis then you are I believe entitled to a statutory redundancy payment, in addition to your pension and your pension lump sum. If however you are accepting a voluntary scheme, then your employer is likely to argue that as the scheme is voluntary, they are not required to make a statutory redundancy payment to you. I would suggest that if you are a member of a TU, as many long serving local govt employees are, then you seek their advice. If not then ask your employer in writing, await their written responser and post it here/go to a legal advice surgery and see what advice you receive.

Hope this helps x

Jarndyce

tara66 wrote: »

Hi if you are being made redundant on a compulsory basis then you are I believe entitled to a statutory redundancy payment, in addition to your pension and your pension lump sum. If however you are accepting a voluntary scheme, then your employer is likely to argue that as the scheme is voluntary, they are not required to make a statutory redundancy payment to you. I would suggest that if you are a member of a TU, as many long serving local govt employees are, then you seek their advice. If not then ask your employer in writing, await their written responser and post it here/go to a legal advice surgery and see what advice you receive.

Hope this helps x

It doesn't help, to be frank. Why would anybody volunteer for redundancy if VR terms were less attractive than compulsory terms? Doesn't make sense.

Can I suggest that people keep off this thread if they don't have any first hand local government experience or knowledge? What happens in LG is rarely the same as what happens outside in other sectors, and people guessing what should happen is only confusing things.

The only advice the OP needs is that they should direct their questions to the employer. Only the employer can tell them whether the terms of the packages on offer include enhanced or statutory redundancy terms or not.

SevenOfNine

I was made redundant from my LA last May after 7 years. Also worked there for 5 years before that with a gap of 1 year elsewhere in between.

In the LGPS both times and the terms aren't the same.

When I was laid off last year I got all my redundancy package, then was surprised to also receive a letter stating I would be getting my monthly LG pension and lump sum (I could choose between bigger lump, smaller monthly pension or vice versa).

BUT ONLY on the more recent 7 years of membership, and I got it because the scheme had changed during my break elsewhere. Apparently now, because I was laid off over age 55 they were obliged to pay me that part of the pension and lump. It could not be deferred in any circumstances, the scheme HAD to pay and I HAD to accept. There was no 'consent' involved on either side - those were the rules and they were merely being followed.

Only when I am 60 I will be eligible to have the pension and lump which goes with my earlier 5 years of membership, when that time comes I will be able to opt to defer that 'til 65 if I want.

I think the OP would be best to speak with HR and her LG pension provider, contact details will be easy to locate - they will have been sending her a statement every year. That way she can get the definitive answer applicable to her.

ali-t

woolly_wombat wrote: »

Just to clarify, according to to the lgps website the minimum retirement age is now 55 in England Wales and Scotland, except for employees in Scotland who were in the lgps on 5 April 2006 (who have a minimum retirement age of 50).

Perhaps an lgps expert could shed more light on this?

I am definitely not an expert but am based in Scotland which explains why those 50+ have been offered deals to leave.