Pensions opt out payments at Pembrokeshire Council ‘unlawful’

No

The decision to allow certain senior officers at Pembrokeshire Council to receive payments equivalent to the employers’ pension contributions if they opt out of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) - to avoid potential tax liabilities - was ‘unlawful’. And, subsequently, payments made – so they could make their own arrangements for saving for retirement - were also contrary to law, according to the Appointed Auditor, Anthony Barrett.

His Report in the Public Interest, issued today, concludes that the decisions were unlawful on a number of grounds: