Fri, 23 Jan 2026

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 Retired civil servants left in pension limbo

Civil service pension scheme failed to pay some pensions and lump sums after transferring to a new administrator.

* Over 1 million public sector workers in the UK have been affected by a backlog in pension payments since Capita took over administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme in December.
* Some former state employees, including Steve Duell and Paul McKenna, have been left with no income this month after not receiving their lump sums or regular payments.
* Capita said it had inherited a much bigger backlog of cases than originally agreed, with 86,000 outstanding cases compared to the expected 37,000.
* The company has apologized for the inconvenience caused and said it is working tirelessly to clear the backlog with over 500 staff members dedicated to the project.
* Members affected by the delay have reported waiting on hold for hours or receiving confusing messages from Capita's customer service team.
* The Cabinet Office says it remains committed to ensuring the scheme's success and has instructed Capita to fix the issues urgently.
* Unions, including the PCS union, are calling for the work to be run by the civil service under ministerial control, so that it can be properly resourced and pensions paid on time.
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