When the LGPS changed from a final salary to a career average pension scheme in 2014, members who were within ten years of their Normal Pension Age on 1 April 2012 were given protection from the changes. The Normal Pension Age in 2012 was generally 65. In simple terms, when a protected member takes their pension, the benefits payable under the career average and final salary schemes are compared. The higher amount is paid. This protection is called the underpin.
To remove the discrimination, the Government plans to provide younger members with protection equal to the underpin protection already given to older members. The Government must consult on these changes before they can become law. It consulted on the proposed changes to the LGPS in 2020 and responded to that consultation in April 2023. The consultation documents can be viewed on the GOV.UK website. A member factsheet summarising the McCloud judgment and the changes the Government is making to the LGPS was also published in April 2023.