Agenda item

A report of the Director of Finance and Transformation was presented to provide Members of the Teesside Pension Board with an update on the Board Membership.

The purpose of the report was to

•         appoint a Deputy Chair from the scheme-member representatives;

•         update the Members of the Teesside Pension Board on progress and proposals to fill vacancies on the Board;

•         remind the Board Members of their terms of office and that that the Deputy Chair will become the Chair (by rotation).

Proposed Change in Board Composition

The Head of Pensions, Governance and Investments advised the Board of a request to amend the terms of reference to enable each of the four main councils to have representation on the Board. This would require increasing the number of employer-nominated Board members by two to allow each council to appoint a representative.

The Board discussed the implications of increasing its size, including the potential impact on the quorum requirements, the importance of ensuring Members possess the necessary training and expertise and the historic difficulty in recruiting new Members to the Board.   A Member noted that Board Members do not represent their individual Local Authorities, but rather the interests of the Fund as a whole.  Following discussion, it was agreed that the current Board structure should remain unchanged, as it provided continuity and ensured the necessary competency to support effective decision-making.

Board Vacancies

Members were advised that following the last meeting, there were two vacancies on the Teesside Pension Board;

•         A vacancy for a scheme-member Board representatives drawn from the recognised trade unions representing employees who were scheme members of the Fund and;

•         A vacancy for an employer-member Board representatives drawn from an employer other than the four main Councils (Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton Councils).

A request was made to the trade unions to nominate a scheme member representative to the Board with a closing date for nominations of 7th November 2025. The trade unions that could nominate employer representatives were GMB, UNISON and UNITE. Previous scheme member representatives were able to apply. If there was more than one nomination the candidates would have been invited to interview, which would have been conducted by a selection panel consisting of Middlesbrough Council’s Chief Finance Officer, Monitoring Officer and Head of Pensions Governance and Investments. Only one nomination was received from the trade unions for Mr Paul Thompson of Unison whose nomination was also supported by GMB. Paul was therefore welcomed back onto the Board with a new four-year term.

As Members had agreed to retain the current Board structure, the Head of Pensions Governance and Investments would now coordinate the recruitment process for the employer-member Board representative and report back on progress to the next Board meeting.

Extension to Terms of Office

The Board were advised that the term of office for the member representative, Mr

Jeff Bell would expire in February 2026.   Extensions to terms of office up to a maximum of two years may be made by the Appointment Panel with the agreement of the Board or a Board member may be appointed for further terms of office using the usual appointment process.

Mr Jeff Bell had agreed to extend his term of membership and the Board confirmed their agreement.

Board Chair

The Board were advised that term of office of the previous Board Chair expired following the last meeting. This created a vacancy, which, in accordance with the Board’s Terms of Reference, was to be filled by the Vice Chair, Councillor Massey.  As Councillor Massey had submitted his apologies for this meeting, it was agreed that he should be contacted to confirm his acceptance of the role.

Following discussion, the Board agreed that Mr Jeff Bell would assume the role of Vice Chair, which he accepted.

AGREED that:

•         The information provided was received and noted.

•         The current Board structure should remain unchanged.

•         Mr Paul Thompson was reappointed to the Board on a new four-year term.

•         The Head of Pensions Governance and Investments would coordinate the recruitment process for the employer-member Board representative and report back on progress to the next Board meeting.

•         An extension be put in place to the terms of office of Jeff Bell for two years following agreement by the Board.

•         Councillor Massey is to confirm his acceptance of his position as Chair. Mr J Bell is to become Vice Chair.