FIREFIGHTERS across Hertfordshire have been sent the wrong information about their pensions, after Serco supplied the wrong data.

Every year members of the Firefighters Pension Scheme receive information about the value of their future pension in an Annual Benefits Statement.

But now it has emerged that the Statements issued last summer have had to be re-issued, after two out of three were found to be incorrect.

In some cases firefighters were told their pension pot was worth more than £10,000 too much – in some cases more than £10,000 too little.

Members of Hertfordshire Fire Pension Board have been told that the error occurred because of the payroll data for 2016-17 that was supplied to the Local Pensions Partnership by Serco.

They were told Serco –  who are contracted to deliver Hertfordshire County Council’s payroll services – had supplied the gross pay figure, rather than the necessary Full Time Equivalent pensionable pay.

And, they were told, it was as a result of this “misinterpretation of the term pay” that the figures on the Annual Benefit Statement were wrong.

The error wasn’t picked up by the Hertfordshire County Council’s Human Resources department, which signs off the data before it is released to the Local Pensions Partnership.

Now council staff, who provide all active members of the Firefighters Pension Scheme with the Annual Benefits Statement, have written to affected firefighters to highlight the errors and re-issued the Annual Benefits Statements, for last year.

But they will be looking to recover the cost of updating records and of re-issuing the Statements from Serco.

This year, the Board heard at the meeting, in March, there would be improved checks before the Annual Benefits Statements were issued. And they were assured that this error could not happen again.

Commenting on the issue, Cllr Terry Hone said the Board had been “very disappointed” that it had taken so long to highlight the problem and then deal with the error.

He said: “We are concerned that processes need to be in place to stop this from happening and we have asked Serco and the Local Pensions Partnership make sure that checks are made so it doesn’t happen in the future and to make sure firefighters have the correct information.”

Responding on behalf of Serco and the council, a spokesperson for the council said: “Hertfordshire County Council can confirm that an error was identified in the annual benefit statements issued to firefighters for the period 2016/17.

“This is an annual statement setting out their estimated pension benefits for that year.

“We have apologised for this error; this was rectified and new statements have been reissued.

“We have also put in measures to ensure this does not occur in the future.  This did not impact on any firefighters actual pensions.”