United Kingdom

UK - Local Authority Pension Fund Forum membership has been boosted by another two councils from Wales.

UK - Running closed final salary schemes is more expensive than keeping them open, the National Association of Pension Funds will claim today.

UK - Schemes will be subjected to a funding standard that could be harsher than FRS17 when the Pensions Protection Fund is introduced, government sources claim.

UK - Government forecasts that only 5000 top earners will be hit by its £1.4m pension cap are way too low, the Conservative Party says.

UK - The National Association of Pension Funds has criticised the Inland Revenue for forcing companies to take contribution holidays.

UK - Supermarket giant Tesco has vowed to improve labour standards in developing countries which are part of its supply chain after continued shareholder pressure.

UK - More than 100,000 jobs at financial services firms will be cut in favour of cheap labour overseas in the next seven years, a management consultancy firm claims.

UK - British Airways' pensioners have hired an actuary to challenge the assumptions used in the schemes' valuation.

UK - Zurich has developed a range of corporate pension products in a bid to strengthen the firm's brand in the UK.

UK - Schroders has appointed Miles O'Connor as head of sales and client servicing for UK pensions and corporates.