Political opinion by Chris Coghlan MP: Calling out pension delays

People haven’t been receiving their pensions after Capita took over the Civil Service Pension Scheme last December. 

Dozens of my constituents are concerned after it was revealed that Capita inherited a huge case backlog of 86,000 from the previous provider. Since then, people have complained to me that they have not heard anything from Capita and often spend hours on hold to them.

Many are worried about not being able to pay their bills on time. One person told me that he has already delayed his retirement over fears that he will not be paid. Another of those affected is Susan from Horley who told me that, despite retiring over two months ago, she has still not received any payments or communication from Capita about when she will be paid.  

Every time she phones Capita, she receives a different answer about the progress of her case. She is worried constantly and she are her husband are struggling to live off just his pension. Whilst the pension provider offered the most vulnerable people bridging loans, some have told me they are now running out of money from these. 

I am continuing to write to the government about this, asking what measures they are putting in place to make sure my constituents are paid their pensions and not left struggling to pay their bills.  

Also, this month, I have written to the government about the challenge of unauthorised land developments in Surrey.  

Decades of chronic under-provision of authorised sites means many Gypsy and Traveller communities have no lawful place to live, so some developments are built outside planning regulations. The current system is failing everyone and is creating significant conflict between the police, local councils and residents.  

I am calling on the government to establish an urgent cross-government task force to support enforcement efforts and identify what powers already exist, and what additional measures may be necessary. A fair and effective, coordinated national response is needed to tackle this. I will also be meeting with the Minister of State for Housing and Planning next month to discuss this further.

If you’d like to get in touch about the above or anything else, please feel free to email me at [email protected].