Europe

UK - The London Borough of Wandsworth is raising its council tax bill in order to plug a £70m pension scheme deficit.

UK - Aerospace giant BAe is giving its staff the chance to shape their own future pension provision.

EU/UK - Proposed amendments to an EU pensions directive pose a significant threat to UK occupational pension schemes, according to the EEF (Engineering Employers Federation).

UK - The £3.2bn London Regional Transport Pension Fund has appointed Barclays Global Investors to manage one of its three active UK equity portfolios.

UK - Barclays Global Investors has posted a pretax profit of £110m for 2002 - a 41% increase on the previous year.

UK - Prime minister Tony Blair's pension will "drive a coach and horses" through proposed Inland Revenue limits, Opposition MPs claim.

UK - GlaxoSmithKline and Unilever have both revealed massive pensions deficits in their latest financial results.

UK/EUROPE - The private equity sector is saturated and on the verge of collapse after 12 years of booming growth, Alt Assets warns.

UK - MPs are out of step with their constituents on the issue of compulsory pensions contributions, a leading building society claims.

UK - Pensions and IT consultancy Dunnett Shaw & Partners has appointed Blaise Prideaux as a director.