Post-May 2026 Councillors and Mayors (2014 Scheme)

If you’re an elected member (councillor or mayor), you will be able to opt in to the LGPS in England from 11 May 2026, provided you are under age 75. Town and Parish councillors are not eligible for membership.

If you are appointed to and receive allowances from another body (Fire and Rescue Authority/Combined Authority), they are treated as a Scheme employer in relation to that allowance. You will hold separate pension accounts for each eligible body that pays you an allowance or salary directly.

If you wish to join the Scheme, you will need to opt in.

You can do so by:

• completing the opt-in form (PDF 224 KB)
• returning it to the relevant authority (contact details found at the bottom of page one of the form)

If you are appointed to and receive allowances from another body, you will need to complete a separate form for each appointment.

Once your form has been received by your employing authority, you will join the Scheme and start paying contributions from the next pay period.

You can opt out at any time in the future.

Your contribution rate is based on your pensionable pay and can be found in the contribution table. For elected members, pensionable pay is the total of your basic allowances, special responsibility allowances, any other relevant allowances and any salary paid (where applicable).

You can choose to pay more or less into the Scheme if you wish.

If you want to pay more into your pension, you can choose to pay Additional Pension Contributions (APCs), where you buy a set amount of extra pension which is then added to your LGPS account, or Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs), where you pay into a separate pension pot which can then be used to top up your LGPS pension benefits. However, shared cost additional voluntary contribution (SCAVC) arrangements can only be entered into where it is a salary sacrifice SCAVC. Your employer’s contribution to a salary sacrifice SCAVC is limited to the amount of pensionable pay you give up in each pay period.

If you want to pay less into your pension, you can opt to move to the 50/50 section of the Scheme. This is where you pay half the contributions in exchange for half the pension build up.

You can transfer in pensions from other pension schemes or personal pension plans into the LGPS. However, any final salary benefits transferred in will not provide final salary benefits in the LGPS. Instead, an equivalent value will be added to your LGPS pension account instead.

Transfers usually need to be completed within 12 months of joining the Scheme.

You can also combine any previous councillor or elected membership of the LGPS (pre-April 2014 membership) with your new elected membership, with some exceptions.

Your LGPS pension is payable without reductions when you reach your Normal Pension Age. For most people, this will be the same as your State Pension Age.

However, you can choose to retire and take your pension from any age between 55 (rising to 57 in 2028) and 75:

• If you take your pension earlier than Normal Pension Age, there will be reductions for early retirement
• If you take your pension later than your Normal Pension Age, there will be increases for late retirement

If you’ve paid into the LGPS for at least 2 years, and become too ill to work, you may be able to have your pension benefits paid to you, regardless of your age, without reductions being applied. This is known as ill-health retirement.

Please note that if you opt out of the Scheme, you can only draw pension benefits relating to your appointment once it has ended.

If you leave with at least two years’ membership, your benefits are deferred and held until you choose to retire (currently from age 55 but rising to 57 from 6 April 2028).

If you leave with less than two years’ membership, you may be able to claim a refund of your contributions, less tax.

Download the:

• Introductory Leaflet for Elected Members (PDF, 267 KB)
• LGPS Guide for Councillors and Mayors (PDF, 364 KB)