Form

SF3: local government pension scheme funds - letter to local authorities

Updated 2 September 2024

Applies to England

Letter from:

Jo Coleman
Statistician: Local Government Finance data collection – Data, Analysis & Statistics division
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Contact: 0303 44 42615
Email: sf3.statistics@levellingup.gov.uk

to:

Chief Finance Officer of Administering Authorities

12 July 2024

Dear Sir / Madam,

Local Government Pension Scheme Funds Account 2023-24 - Form SF3

We are writing to you to inform you about the Local Government Pension Scheme statistical collection for year 2023-2024 which has been made available on DELTA today. The following information has today been emailed to the relevant officer in your local authority:

• SF3 2023-24 – Guidance notes
• SF3 2023-24 – Validation notes
• SF3 2023-24 – Data preparation template
• SF3 2023-24 – Bulk upload guidance

The information specified on this form must be submitted to the Secretary of State, under Section 168 of the Local Government Act 1972, to reach us by Friday 13 September 2024.

Data required

We are aware that this September deadline is before this year’s deadline for accounts to have been audited (30 September). If audited final accounts data (“final data”) are not likely to be available before the deadline, please submit the data that has been drawn from or referenced to the unaudited final accounts (“provisional data”) which have been submitted to the auditor. It is not necessary to wait to the deadline to submit these provisional data if you know that the audit will not be starting until after the 13 September.

If provisional data are submitted, and changes arise from the audit process, then the changes should be submitted. In order for them to be included in the October publication, they will need to be submitted by Friday 13 September. Please contact us if changes are required after you have submitted your data.

Please note that delays in submitting your data has an impact on the work to ensure quality statistics are published, which can have a knock on effect on to the users of the data. If you have any issues in meeting this deadline, please contact the team as early as possible to discuss.

How to submit data

Guidance notes are provided and should be read before completing the form. Forms can be completed either by direct entry into the DELTA form or by uploading from the Excel-based Data Preparation Template in to DELTA. However, please note that validations will not be part of the template, so the form should still be reviewed in DELTA before submission after the upload has taken place. Calculations should also be reviewed in DELTA as they are not uploaded from the template. Please refer to the ‘SF3 Bulk Upload Guidance’ and ‘SF3 Data Preparation Template’ for further details. 

We include validation tests within the form and will perform other tests once the form is received to ensure the data are of good quality. If validations are triggered, we require an explanation and space is provided for local authorities to record this. Including explanations in the form provides valuable information on the data and ensure we publish high quality data. We may seek further explanation if we are not satisfied with explanations, for example, where the validation explanation simply says ‘OK’ or ‘Gone up or down’, or where further checks are made following the submission of the form. Please refer to the ‘SF3 2023-24 Validation Notes’ document for further details.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government use the information collected in this form to provide a benchmark on the administration and fund management of the Local Government Pension Scheme. The data are also used in compiling the National Accounts and to show the role of pension funds in the economy. It is therefore important that accurate data are provided to the timescales involved.

If you have any queries about the completion of this form, please send an e-mail to sf3.statistics@levellingup.gov.uk.

Yours faithfully,

Jo Coleman
Statistician: Local Government Finance data collection – Data, Analysis & Statistics division