This page contains guides and sample documents issued by the LGA Bluelight team in collaboration with the Fire Communications Working Group on a variety of subjects. The topics are listed in alphabetical order with both tracked and clean versions available where there have been changes to the documents.
Items in Word format can be edited - please check any areas highlighted in yellow or as otherwise instructed.
This page contains guides and sample documents issued by the LGA Bluelight team in collaboration with the Fire Communications Working Group on a variety of subjects. The topics are listed in alphabetical order with both tracked and clean versions available where there have been changes to the documents.
Items in Word format can be edited - please check any areas highlighted in yellow or as otherwise instructed.
Abatement
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Abatement | Informal abatement guidance for FRAs (PDF, 17 pages, 321kb) | FRAs | May 2022 |
Aggregation
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Aggregation | Guide to combining pension scheme service in the FPS - version 1.1 clean (PDF, 18 pages, 297kb) | Administrators | November 2021 |
| Guide to combining pension scheme service in the FPS - version 1.1 tracked (PDF, 18 pages, 302kb) | November 2021 |
Annual Allowance
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Annual Allowance | Annual Allowance factsheet for members (Word, 12 pages, 103kb) | Scheme members | October 2020 |
| Annual Allowance factsheet for members (Word, 10 pages, 82.6kb) | Scheme members | April 2019 |
Annual Benefit Statements (ABS)
31 May 2022
The following comments have been made to recognise the position of HM Treasury (HMT) policy decisions on ABS for this year
At the Fire Technical Working Group (FTWG) meeting on 7 March 2022 we discussed annual benefit statement production (ABS) for 2022. As ABS’s in 2022 will be based on current scheme regulations up to 31 March 2022, it was proposed that the same process as last year is followed, and the statements caveated in a similar way. FPS Bulletin 44 – April 2021 provides more information.
However, while the recommendation last year was to suppress projections for fully protected members which would have incorrectly forecast final salary benefits beyond 31 March 2022, administrators were asked to consider that projections for former protected members could be included this year on a fully CARE basis.
The group failed to reach a consensus on this matter, it was therefore agreed that administrators will make the final call on whether to include projections or not. It is the expectation that administrators will notify the FRAs they administer on their decision.
We will continue to review requirements for ABS over the coming years in line with HMT policy decisions on remedy.
Appropriate messaging
It is recommended that this approach should be communicated to members in the ABS using the suggested caveat included in FPS Bulletin 57 - May 2022.
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Annual Benefit Statements | ABS 2022 template and notes (Word, 12 pages, 136kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 |
| Annex A - current value of benefits (PDF, 6 pages, 150kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Annex B - CPD, LSI and APBs (PDF, 2 pages, 100kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Annex C - retiring from the scheme (PDF, 2 pages, 133kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Annex D - estimated value of CARE pension (PDF, 4 pages, 147kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Annex E - estimated value of final salary pension (PDF, 1 page, 123kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Annex F - survivor benefits (PDF, 3 pages, 121kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Annex G - adjustments to pension (PDF, 1 pages, 83kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Annex H - pension growth (PDF, 2 pages, 99kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| ABS 2021/22 Factsheet (PDF, 1 page, 119kb) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2022 | |
| Double accrual guarantee (HTML) | FRAs, LPBs | May 2021 | |
| Explanation of terms (PDF, 3 pages, 139kb) | FRAs, LPBs | April 2020 | |
| ABS 2020 template and notes (Word, 12 pages, 134kb) | FRAs, LPBs | April 2020 | |
| ABS 2019 template and notes (Word, 29 pages, 157kb) | FRAs, LPBs | June 2019 | |
| ABS 2018 template and notes (Word, 29 pages, 158kb) | FRAs, LPBs | June 2018 |
Data scoring
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Data scoring | Advice on TPR data scoring 2019 - clean (PDF, 15 pages, 382kb) | FRAs, LPBs, Administrators | October 2019 |
| Advice on TPR data scoring 2019 - tracked (PDF, 19 pages, 396kb) | FRAs, LPBs, Administrators | October 2019 | |
| Data score weighting template 2019 (xlsx, 13kb) | FRAs, LPBs, Administrators | October 2019 | |
| Illustrative data requirements for TPR data scoring (PDF, 12 pages, 356kb) | FRAs, LPBs, Administrators | August 2018 |
Disclosure
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Disclosure | Guide to Disclosure of Information requirements (PDF, 13 pages, 376kb) | FRAs, LPBs | July 2018 |
Discretions
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
|
Discretions |
Full list of discretions available to scheme managers in the FPS (PDF, 82 pages, 990kb) | FRAs, LPBs | July 2018 |
|
|
FPS 1992 discretions and table of delegations (Word, 19 pages, 290kb) |
FRAs, LPBs | July 2018 |
|
|
FPS 2006 discretions and table of delegations (Word, 19 pages, 292kb) |
FRAs, LPBs |
July 2018 |
|
|
FPS 2015 discretions and table of delegations (Word, 18 pages, 245kb) | FRAs, LPBs | July 2018 |
|
|
FCS discretions and table of delegations (Word, 15 pages, 203kb) | FRAs, LPBs | July 2018 |
Finance and funding
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Finance and funding | FPS forecasting guidance (PDF, 22 pages, 620kb) | FRAs, Finance | July 2019 |
| Guidance for FRAs on new financial arrangements for firefighter pensions with effect from April 2006 (PDF, 40 pages, 423kb) | FRAs, Finance | August 2006 | |
| Annex D: Actuarial data required for setting contribution rates (PDF, 5 pages, 151kb) |
Forms
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
|
Forms |
Election to join (Word, 1 page, 19.2kb) | FRAs | December 2019 |
|
|
FPS 1992 notes on opting out (Word, 2 pages, 23.3kb) | FRAs | December 2018 |
| FPS 2006 (standard member) notes on opting out (Word, 2 pages, 22.7kb) | FRAs | December 2018 | |
| FPS 2006 (special member) notes on opting out (Word, 2 pages, 23kb) | FRAs | December 2018 | |
| FPS 2015 notes on opting out (Word, 3 pages, 23.5kb) | FRAs | December 2018 | |
| Election to opt out (Word, 2 pages, 17.6kb) | FRAs | December 2018 |
FPS administration strategy
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
|
FPS administration strategy |
Template FPS administration strategy (Word, 23 pages, 217kb) | FRAs, Administrators | July 2021 |
| FPS administration strategy consultation response (PDF, 8 pages, 208kb) | FRAs, Administrators | July 2021 |
GDPR
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
|
GDPR |
Template privacy notice for FRAs as Data Controllers (Word, 8 pages, 57kb) | FRAs | May 2018 |
| Notes on use/ adaptation of the template privacy notice (PDF, 7 pages, 331kb) | FRAs | May 2018 |
IDRP
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| IDRP | IDRP factsheet (PDF, 6 pages, 247kb) | FRAs | June 2020 |
Lifetime Allowance
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Lifetime Allowance | Lifetime Allowance factsheet for members (Word, 8 pages, 79.1kb) | Scheme members | February 2021 |
| Lifetime Allowance factsheet for members (Word, 8 pages, 71kb) | Scheme members | May 2019 |
Member guides
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Member guides | FPS 2015 Added Pension - factsheet and election form (Word, 3 pages, 130kb) | Scheme members | April 2020 |
| Member guide to pensions tax by Mark Belchamber, Income for the Third Age | Scheme members | July 2019 | |
| SI 2019/378 - Leaflet for communicating scheme changes to members (Word, 3 pages, 93kb) | Scheme members | May 2019 | |
| Retirement from FPS 2015 - member factsheet (PDF, 3 pages, 330kb) | Scheme members | December 2018 | |
| SI 2018/997 - Leaflet for communicating scheme changes to members (Word, 3 pages, 92kb) | Scheme members | November 2018 | |
|
|
Short guide to FPS 2015 (Word, 12 pages, 29kb) | Scheme members | July 2018 |
Retirement decision trees
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
|
Retirement decision trees |
Benefit flowchart for an FPS 2015 member with 1992 transitional benefits (PDF, 1 page, 273kb) |
FRAs Scheme members |
September 2018 |
| Benefit flowchart for an FPS 2015 member with standard 2006 transitional benefits (PDF, 1 page, 244kb) |
FRAs Scheme members |
September 2018 |
|
| Benefit flowchart for an FPS 2015 member with special 2006 transitional benefits (PDF, 1 page, 250kb) |
FRAs Scheme members |
September 2018 |
|
| Benefit flowchart for a member with FPS 2015 benefits only (PDF, 1 page, 309kb) |
FRAs Scheme members |
September 2018 |
Scheme pays
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Scheme pays | Voluntary Scheme Pays (VSP) guidance (PDF, 12 pages, 479kb) | FRAs Administrators | January 2018 |
| VSP election form - member (PDF, 2 pages, 71kb) | Scheme members | January 2018 | |
| VSP election form - scheme manager (PDF, 1 page, 10kb) | FRAs | January 2018 | |
| Guidance on proportioning the scheme pays debit (PDF, 3 pages, 292kb) | FRAs Administrators | January 2018 |
Technical notes
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Technical notes | Restricting exit payments in the public sector (PDF, 7 pages, 264kb) | FRAs | May 2019 |
| 2019 amendment orders (PDF, 4 pages, 362kb) | FRAs | March 2019 | |
| 2018 amendment orders (PDF, 6 pages, 272kb) | FRAs | September 2018 | |
| Taxable treatment of Ill-Health pension paid from the compensation scheme (PDF, 5 pages, 299kb) | FRAs | September 2017 | |
| 2017 amendment orders (PDF, 20 pages, 553kb) | FRAs | September 2017 |
Transfers
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Transfers | QROPS Spring Budget 2017 information (PDF, 4 pages, 99.4kb) |
Administrators Scheme members |
March 2017 |
Two pensions
| Topic | Document and description | Intended audience | Publication date |
| Two pensions | Two pension award case study |
FRAs Administrators |
September 2021 |
| Entitlement to two pensions factsheet | FRAs Administrators | April 2019 |
