My home for the rest of the week

I’m heading for Scotland today to speak at the DG Conference on the shores of Loch Lomond. It’s not a part of Scotland I’ve visited before and I have to admit it feels like a bit of a break after a hard summer at work.

The agenda revolves around the investment of defined benefit schemes, both corporate and in the LGPS. My fellow speakers include past colleagues and friends, it is a far cry from my day to day work.

We are only a few weeks from the Kings Speech , scheduled for November 7th, this is widely considered the best chance this Government has of getting legislation on the table on Value for Money, DB consolidation, Small Pot consolidation and CDC. The overall thrust of the reforms is to make our pension system more efficient and better invested.

Those at this conference are in a position to make this happen.

Necessarily, the keynote speech of the event will be Neil Bull’s on the Pension Regulator’s position on the DB Funding Code. While the direction this much consulted on guidance takes, is not subject to legislation, it is unlikely that it will re-emerge from its latest revamp, without influence from the Chancellor’s Mansion House reforms.

The winds of change

Warning for West Scotland

Weather can be disruptive but the conference organizers have assured us that they ready and waiting for Storm Agnes. Let’s hope that what goes on inside is constructive and not destructive!