The Cabinet Member for Environmental Services introduced the item and stated that four employees currently employed by Biffa Municipal Ltd, originally employed by the Council, would transfer to SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK in March as part of the Mid Kent waste contract change. For the four employees to retain their pension rights, SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK would need to become an Admission Body for the Local Government Pension Fund (LGPS), and Maidstone and Ashford Borough Councils would need to provide a pension guarantee of £383,000 to the Kent Pension Fund to protect the employees from a shortfall.

The Committee enquired about how the pension guarantee would be monitored and the Head of Environmental Services and Waste Management stated that protections were in place in the waste contract, that SUEZ would provide data and information on its contributions to the LGPS and the same practice had been implemented with Biffa without issue.

The Committee agreed that the £383,000 was an appropriate provision to the Kent Pension Fund and recommended that it be agreed to the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the CABINET MEMBER:

That the provision of a guarantee to the total value of £383k to the Kent Pension Fund in partnership with Ashford Borough Council be approved.