It's not just the "pensions revolution" that
George Osborne announced this year, but also auto-enrolment that comes into
force next year for all our staff.
These mean all charities have to review their existing
schemes - some will not be approved for the future - and make arrangements for
auto-enrolment. It has to be electronic and automatic when new staff join.
There is also the question of how we tell staff about pensions and give them
advice on choices.
ACEVO has worked with one of the country's top pension
experts for over 14 years. Back before I came to ACEVO we chose Foster Denovo
to provide our staff pensions and the experience was so good we asked them if
they would work with member charities on their pension schemes. 14 years later
we are now still working with them and are planning a new advisory offer, which
covers both advice to us as employers and advice to staff. It's needed.
So this morning we were filming to provide a new web portal
for use by employees and employers and explains key concepts and things to do
and know. It stars yours truly and Ian Bird, the key guy at Foster Denovo.
Funnily enough I was having a chat on this theme with one of
my newer members of staff - 23 and not enamoured with the idea of saving for a
pension. I remonstrated with him! But it did show how we do need to do work
with employees on why they should take an interest in pensions. As one gets
nearer to that time (for me many years ahead!) pensions loom larger. But I
intend to be wise and invest my pension pot rather than buying up a wine
warehouse or blowing it on a round the world trip.
The film studio was in a gorgeous Georgian terrace and up
the road was Boris Johnson's house. Just had to go and look!
And talking of feckless yoof, a new welfare package
should be offered to young people in an attempt to slash youth unemployment,
according to a report published yesterday by a leading think-tank, the Centre
for Social Justice (CSJ). It wants politicians to make a commitment that
tackling youth unemployment will be a 'moral mission' in the next Parliament
and calls for a fresh relationship between young people and the State. The
ambitious four-stage blueprint outlines plans which will help and support young
people develop work skills and training from primary school through to
adulthood.
This is a good report. It shows the value of think tanks in
adding to the political debate and generating good ideas, as IPPR did with
their Condition of Britain report. Such a shame a number of politicians have
got in such a lather over IPPR. We need organisations like them and the CSJ.
