Thousands expected at conference to debate pensions crisis
THE UK’s largest pensions conference, attracting thousands of delegates, will open in Manchester tomorrow to debate the pensions saving crisis, public sector pensions reforms and government plans to overhaul the State pension.
The NAPF Annual Conference will take place in Manchester Central from Wednesday 19 to Friday 21 October.
Keynote speakers include pensions minister Steve Webb, former Chancellor Alistair Darling, pensions regulator chairman Michael O’Higgins, Lord Hutton of Furness and BBC Economics journalist Stephanie Flanders.
The conference will tackle issues including the massive pensions saving crisis, public sector pensions reforms, upcoming pensions auto-enrolment reforms, as well as the government’s plans to overhaul the State pension.
It will include the UK’s biggest pension schemes – such as BT Pension Fund that has recently invested heavily in Manchester – and their trustees, as well as a range of city expertise from actuaries to lawyers, consultants and political advisers.
Joanne Segars, chief executive of the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF), said: “Pensions have become a burning issue in the UK, with big reforms in the public sector and to the state pension on the horizon. The pensions industry is coming to Manchester to debate the big issues and explore the solutions.
“Like the rest of Britain, the North West is suffering a serious lack of saving for retirement. Sadly this means that many of its people are on course for a retirement spent in poverty.
“We want to help ensure that all working age people have a solid workplace pension and those who are retiring have a simpler, more generous state pension.
“Britain’s pensions landscape is going through a radical transformation in the next few years. Our conference will discuss what else needs to be done to endow Britain with a strong pensions system suited to the 21st century.”
The NAPF is the UK’s biggest workplace pensions body, speaking for 1,200 pension schemes with 15 million members and assets of around £800bn.
