The UK government has announced it will introduce legislation next year to pool £1.3 trillion of pension savings into a series of “megafunds” as the new Labour government moves to deliver on its promise to boost private investment and economic growth.
“The radical reforms, which will be introduced through a new Pension Schemes Bill next year, will create megafunds through consolidating defined contribution schemes and pooling assets from the 86 separate Local Government Pension Scheme authorities,” said the UK Treasury.
“These megafunds mirror set-ups in Australia and Canada, where pension funds take advantage of size to invest in assets that have higher growth potential, which could deliver around £80 billion of investment in exciting new businesses and critical infrastructure while boosting defined contribution savers’ pension pots …
“The UK pension system is one of the largest in the world – with the Local Government Pension Scheme and Defined Contribution market set to manage £1.3 trillion in assets by the end of the decade. However, our pension landscape is fragmented and lacks the size needed to invest in exciting new businesses or expensive projects like infrastructure.
“The government’s analysis … shows that pension funds begin to return much greater productive investment levels once the size of assets they manage reaches between £25-50 billion.
“At this point they are better placed to invest in a wider range of assets, such as exciting new businesses and expensive infrastructure projects. Even larger pensions funds of greater than £50 billion in assets can harness further benefits including the ability to invest directly in large scale projects such as infrastructure at lower cost.
“This is supported by evidence from Canada and Australia. Canada’s pension schemes invest around four times more in infrastructure, while Australia pension schemes invest around three times more in infrastructure and 10 times more in private equity, such as businesses, compared to Defined Contribution schemes in the UK.
“Benchmarking against domestic and international examples show how consolidation of the Local Government Pension Scheme and defined contribution schemes into megafunds could unlock around £80 billion of investment in productive investments like infrastructure and fast-growing companies.
“The government is therefore consulting on proposals to take advantage of pension fund size and improve their governance.”
The Treasury said that the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales will manage assets worth around £500 billion by 2030. These assets are currently split across 86 different administering authorities, managing assets between £300 million and £30 billion, with local government officials and councillors managing each fund.
“Consolidating the assets into a handful of megafunds run by professional fund managers will allow them to invest more in assets like infrastructure, supporting economic growth and local investment on behalf of the 6.7 million public servants – most of whom are low-paid women – whose savings are managed,” said the Treasury.
“These megafunds will need to meet rigorous standards to ensure they deliver for savers, such as needing to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Governance of the Local Government Pension Scheme will also be overhauled to deliver better value from investment decisions, which independent research suggests could free up money in the long-term to support local public services.
‘Local economies will be boosted by the changes as each Administering Authority will be required to specify a target for the pool’s investment in their local economy, working in partnership with Local and Mayoral Combined Authorities to identify the best opportunities to support local growth. If each Administering Authority were to set a 5% target, that would secure £20 billion of investment in local communities.
“A new independent review process will be established to ensure each of the 86 Administering Authorities is fit for purpose.”
The Treasury said defined contribution pension schemes are set to manage £800 billion worth of assets by the end of the decade.
There are currently around 60 different multi-employer schemes, each investing savers’ money into one or more funds. The Government will consult on setting a minimum size requirement for these funds to ensure they deliver on their investment potential.
The government will also consult on measures to facilitate this consolidation into megafunds, including legislating to allow fund managers to more easily move savers from underperforming schemes to ones that deliver higher returns for them.
REACTION:
Karen Northey, Director of Corporate Affairs at the Investment Association, whose member investment comanies manage £9.1 trillion of assets: “The Chancellor has set out an ambitious agenda to ensure the UK’s financial services sector continues to flourish and play its role in delivering economic growth. Our industry strongly supports her commitment to recalibrate risk and acknowledgement of the importance of investment to grow the economy.
“The new remit letters to the regulator rightly emphasise the importance of growth and competitiveness. The FCA’s secondary objective is central to ensuring the UK remains a world-leading centre – not just for investment management – but for innovation and wellbeing of all, and we are pleased to see the Chancellor recognise that appropriate risk in the system is a positive and growth-oriented necessity.
“We want to ensure the UK remains an attractive place for companies to list, invest and do business. This requires a rebalancing of attitude towards risk. Proposals to broaden access to private markets through PISCES and plans to make the UK a leading centre for green finance indicate a positive shift towards a growth-focused mindset. We are also pleased to see the government championing innovation by delivering on its plans to introduce a digital gilt – a key recommendation of the Asset Management Task Force’s work on tokenisation. As technology continues to evolve, speed and regulatory responsiveness will be critical to the success of these initiatives.
“Ensuring our pensions system is fit for purpose will be mission critical in securing the financial futures of millions across our country. The proposals to further consolidate both the LGPS and DC master trusts are an important step. To fully realise the benefit, we must ensure that we deliver ‘sophisticated scale’ – placing an emphasis on strong governance, accountability and appropriate investment expertise to deliver the most productive outcomes and create value for money for savers. With an ambitious approach, this could channel more pensions capital into fast-growing businesses and infrastructure projects.
“Today’s announcements mark the welcome start of a bold reform programme and we believe even more can be achieved. We look forward to continuing to engage with government over the coming months, to help establish a culture of inclusive investment and create a world-leading economy and investment management sector.”
Lily Megson, Policy Director at My Pension Expert: “The Chancellor’s ambition to create ‘pension mega funds’ to fuel UK growth is well-intentioned, but savers need transparency and involvement in decisions that impact their retirement funds. Committing to the “biggest pension reforms in decades” is not a positive boast if consumers – those people whose hard-earned pension savings is at stake – are not properly informed and engaged with, helping them understand both the potential returns and risks.
“Using pension funds to simultaneously boost investment into UK industries, trigger economic growth and improve the performance of those funds is, of course, all positive. But it cannot come at the expense of financial security for retirement planners. What’s more, truly meaningful, radical pension reform must address a much broader range of issues that blight the country’s pensions market – such as limited pension engagement, the gender gap, lack of financial literacy, and limited access to guidance and advice.
“To properly support UK savers, we need a balanced approach – one that doesn’t sacrifice long-term financial security in the pursuit of UK economic goals. Savers need confidence that their retirement is the priority, not just a means to balance the books.”
Matt Calveley, Director DC, at pensions consultanyc Isio: “It’s great to see the Government taking steps to streamline the DC workplace pension market. By encouraging consolidation and the creation of larger, more efficient schemes, they’re setting the stage for better returns for UK savers and a boost to our domestic economy. This long-term vision is exactly what we need to ensure that pension savers can look forward to a secure retirement.
“For too long, we’ve seen lower levels of domestic investment compared to our overseas counterparts, so we’re pleased to see the focus on addressing the disparities in investment patterns. The review aims to change that by ensuring the anticipated growth in DC fund assets contributes positively to UK growth.
“It’s a win-win situation – enhancing the financial security of pension savers while supporting the broader economic landscape. On the flip side, the risk is it leads to less competition, innovation and a ‘lack of choice’. We believe there is a role for schemes that truly differentiate so we’re pleased that there will be an opportunity to input on this.
“The measures outlined in the government’s pension report are a positive move towards greater value for members, addressing legacy inefficiencies and a sustainable pension system. However, it’s crucial that we continue to build on this momentum. With the right focus and action, we can make sure that UK savers are well-prepared for their future. We need to keep pushing forward to make this vision a reality.”