Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) was closed to councillors in England from 1 April 2014. Councillors who were members of the LGPS on 31 March 2014 were able to continue to contribute to and accrue rights in the scheme until the end of their term of office. Councillors are not currently able to re-join the LGPS in any subsequent term of office.
On 28 September 2025, Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, announced that the Government plans to allow councillors in England to join the LGPS again. We expect the Government to consult on changes to the LGPS rules to bring this policy into effect. We’ll share further updates as soon as more details are available. The links below refer to the current regulations and will be updated once the relevant legislation is approved.