PensionsSep 23 2020

Govt launches working group to tackle small pots issue

twitter-iconfacebook-iconlinkedin-iconmail-iconprint-icon
Search supported by
Govt launches working group to tackle small pots issue

At a virtual Department for Work and Pensions event yesterday (September 22), Mr Opperman outlined his vision for the working group, the challenges small pots present and the government’s commitment to protect consumers.

The number of small pots has significantly grown since the introduction of auto-enrolment, with many savers having held a number of jobs and pots but failing to consolidate their pension savings.

Mr Opperman said: “Automatic enrolment has transformed the way people save for retirement, meaning millions more can look forward to a more secure future.

“With the launch of the cross-sector working group and our ongoing efforts to make pensions dashboards a reality, we are focused on ensuring that consumers can stay on top of their pension savings, make more informed choices about their financial futures and have real returns from their savings.”

The working group is expected to report later this autumn with an initial assessment, recommendations and a roadmap of actions for the pensions industry and government.

The DWP said the working group will complement the work on pension dashboards "to identify the priority option or combination of options to help tackle the growth of deferred, small pension pots -  involving experts from within the pensions industry, fintech, and those representing member interests and employers”.

According to recent research from Now: Pensions, there are around 8m deferred pots but this is set to rise to 27m by 2035, with Covid-19 only set to accelerate this as job losses grow.

Adrian Boulding, director of policy at Now: Pensions, said: “A worker has exactly the same needs in retirement whether they’ve had one single job for life or whether they’ve worked for 10 different employers. 

“Having multiple pots can be detrimental to savers as they fail to benefit from economies of scale, can be hit by multiple investment costs, and can lose track of their pensions, which exacerbates the long-standing problem of lack of comprehension and the value of saving. 

“At Now: Pensions, we strive to ensure that pensions are fair for all so truly hope that the taskforce, on which I will represent master trusts, will deliver a sustainable, long-term solution to ensure savers are getting as much value from their pension pots as possible.”

Darren Philp, director of policy at Smart Pension, said: "It has been clear for some time that small pots are a growing problem in the pensions industry, and we welcome initiatives that aim to build consensus in dealing with the problem. 

“We need to consider a variety of solutions to reconnect people with their pensions and solve the inefficiency that the small pots problem creates. We need solutions that work for savers and we look forward to supporting this important work."

Small scheme consolidation has long been on the DWP's agenda. Indeed the concept of "pot follows member" was first proposed by Steve Webb when he was pensions minister in 2015 as part of the introduction of auto-enrolment.

But Sir Steve's successor, Baroness Altmann, scrapped the process of introducing the scheme on the basis this would be a significant new process for both schemes and members to get to grips with at a time when the pensions market was changing fast.

amy.austin@ft.com

What do you think about the issues raised by this story? Email us on fa.letters@ft.com to let us know.