Management of cases affected by the Boots Pension Scheme dispute regarding the removal of an option to retire at 60 on an unreduced pension

The Pensions Ombudsman is aware of the ongoing dispute between the trustee of the Boots Pension Scheme and some members of the Scheme concerning the ability to take an unreduced pension at 60. We have been in discussions with the relevant parties and are taking a ‘lead case’ approach in respect of this dispute, due to the number of members potentially affected by the issue. 

Lead cases are an efficient way of dealing with a significant volume of complaints of a similar nature caused by the same incident. They can be accelerated through our processes to final Determination, providing clarity for all parties as early as possible. This reduces the impact that large volumes of individual incoming complaints can have on waiting times for all our customers. More information on the lead case approach can be found in the Ombudsman’s latest blog.

What this means for complaints

If you are affected by this issue and may want to make a complaint to TPO about this in the future, we expect you to make a complaint to the Trustee under the scheme’s internal dispute resolution procedure (IDRP). Once the lead complaints are determined, our expectation is that these Determinations will inform how the Trustee responds to all IDRP complaints. At that stage, any member who has a specific situation not covered by the lead complaint Determinations may apply to TPO. 

If you have a complaint about the Boots Pension Scheme regarding a separate issue, you can raise this through the scheme’s IDRP in the usual way (making it clear your complaint is different to the lead cases), and then with TPO if you are not satisfied with the outcome of the IDRP.

For more information on those complaints, along with the latest updates and what happens next, visit our dedicated page