Gender pension gap reporting to be put on a statutory footing
Author: LAPF Investments | Published: February 2, 2026
Gender pension gap data reporting is set to be put on a statutory footing.
Coming into force in April, it comes part of several new reforms announced by the government to tackle the gender pension gap in the LGPS. Other measures include making unpaid additional maternity, as well as shared parental and adoption leave, automatically pensionable.
Minister for pensions Torsten Bell: “For too long, women have been penalised in retirement simply for having children. These reforms mean that for millions of women working in local government, taking time out to care for a new baby no longer costs them their pension security.
“This is about a pension system that works for modern families and properly values the vital contribution of working women across our public services.”
Minister for local government and homelessness Alison McGovern added: “It is shocking that this gender imbalance in our pension has persisted so long, and I am proud that these reforms will help correct this historic inequality.
These crucial changes will give hard working cleaners, librarians, school cooks and other public servants the security in retirement they deserve.”
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak added: “Everyone deserves a decent quality of life in retirement, but the gender pension gap means too many women are pushed into hardship.
“It’s not right. That’s why these measures are an important step forward – they will make a meaningful difference for millions of women working in local government, helping them to build up a decent pension.
“It’s now vital we see more action to close the gender pension gap across the whole workforce, including by extending this approach to the rest of the public sector.”
The government is also looking to bring in measures which backdate payments and increase future pension payments to ensure all surviving partners of eligible members are given the same pension as other survivors regardless of the type of relationship they were in.
Due to issues with the existing regulations, there have been instances where people in same-sex marriages and civils partnerships have received a more generous pension entitlement than those in opposite-sex marriages and partnerships. Under these new reforms, all discrimination on the basis of the sex of those affected will be removed.
Another reform will remove an age cap currently in place that requires an LGPS member to have died before the age of 75 for their survivor to receive a lump sum payment.
Additionally, the government will be taking steps to keep people in the scheme by enhancing data collection on why people opt out.
