How to raise a complaint
If you're not satisfied with a decision made about your local government pension, you can ask for it to be looked at again.
All the appeals procedures within the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) are free - there are no legal fees or court costs to pay.
You can ask someone to make a complaint on your behalf. This could be a trade union official, welfare officer, your husband, wife or partner, or a friend.
Contact your pension manager or employer
At first you should try and sort out any problem informally with your pension manager (Royal Borough of Greenwich) or employer, depending on who made the decision you're complaining about.
If the problem is caused by a misunderstanding or wrong information, it can be explained or put right more quickly this way.
Make a formal complaint
If the pension manager is not able to sort your problem then there is a formal two-stage procedure called the internal dispute resolution procedure (IDRP).
Download the formal complaint guidance and timescales
Stage one review
To ask us to review a decision, complete the stage one form and send it to the address on the form.
You must do this within six months of the decision you are complaining about.
We'll look at your complaint and give you a written response within three months.
Stage two review
You can ask us to take a fresh look at your complaint if:
- you're not satisfied with the stage one response or
- you've not received a response within three months of making the complaint or
- it's more than one month after the date you were told you'd receive a decision by.
If you're not satisfied with the stage one response, then you must ask for a stage two review within six months.
Complete a stage two form and send it to the address on the form.
The stage two review will be carried out by a person not involved in the first stage decision. They'll consider the situation, talk with everyone involved and make a decision.
We'll let you know their decision within two months or send a letter explaining the reasons for the delay and let you know when a decision will be made.
Contact the Pensions Ombudsman
If we're not able to sort out the problem, or you don't get a response, then you can refer your complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman.
You can also contact them before this point, but they recommend you try and work it out with us first.
You need to contact them within three years of making the original complaint.
Find out more about how to complain through the Pensions Ombudman