Over the last year I have been contacted by many constituents who have written to me about the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS).
For those of you who do not know what that is, BCSSS looks after the pensions of around 40,000 members who were formerly in the mining industry. In Chesterfield alone there are around 460 scheme members. Many of these members worked underground in incredibly difficult roles to power our country and we own them a debt of thanks.
Their pension scheme worked in a similar way to the Mineworkers Pension Scheme (MPS) which had their surplus sharing scheme returned to members in the last Budget, a much-welcomed move which righted a historic wrong and benefited people to the tune of £1.5 billion from the MPS reserve fund which boosted pensions by 32%, an increase of £29 per week.
This not only provided fairer pensions for the mineworkers who powered our country but also put money back into the mining communities that had for far too long been treated as an afterthought. I pay tribute to the campaigners who fought for justice on this issue and was pleased to participate in a debate in Parliament on the matter, you can see my contribution to that here- Debate: Coalfield Communities – 6th Feb 2025
I have been working to ensure that the BCSSS members are treated similarly to the members of the MPS through collaborating with my colleagues on the Labour Coalfield Group of MPs. I must particularly salute my colleague Graeme Morris MP on the work he has done on this matter as chair of this group. Together, we have written several times to both DESNZ and Treasury ministers to push the issue forward with them. This has included requests for officials to meet with BCSSS trustees, which has now happened on several occasions.
I have also written directly to the Chancellor and the Minister for Industry to raise the matter with them. I have been pleased with the positive response I have received but clearly we need to see faster action taken. Since the recent reshuffle, I have written again to the Treasury and to the new Minister for Industry to keep the issue on the forefront of their minds. I understand we will likely hear back by the end of October.
My office and that of my colleague and constituency neighbour, Louise Sandher-Jones MP, have been liaising with the BCSSS trustees to arrange a meeting for members to discuss their concerns in person with both their Member of Parliament and the trustees. I have written to everyone who has written to me about the issue and look forward to discussing it further.
I hope to hear a positive update from Government soon. Thank you again to everyone who has written to raise this matter with me, I hope that your long wait for justice will soon be over.