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South Yorkshire businesses to benefit from two new £20 million funds to boost growth
20/03/2025
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South Yorkshire Pension Authority has announced the launch of two new funds to support small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the region after identifying funding gaps that are hindering growth. The Pension Authority has appointed FW Capital and Foresight Group to manage the funds.
Launched earlier this week with an event at Cutler’s Hall, The South Yorkshire Debt Fund will be managed by FW Capital and South Yorkshire Growth Equity Fund by Foresight Group. Each fund will deliver a £20million commitment of much needed finance and provide new sources of investment to support businesses to scale up and innovate. It is designed to stimulate regional growth and create high-quality, sustainable jobs.
Councillor Jayne Dunn, Chair of the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, said: “We are proud to launch these two £20million investment funds in partnership with Foresight and FW Capital, providing vital support for SMEs across South Yorkshire. By backing local businesses, we are not only fostering economic growth but also creating jobs and driving innovation in our region. This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to investing in South Yorkshire’s future and ensuring long-term prosperity for our communities."
The South Yorkshire Debt Fund will be managed by FW Capital, one of the UK’s largest regional fund managers with a strong record of supporting businesses in Yorkshire. The new fund is designed to support growing businesses across Barnsley, Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham with loans of up to £2million. Funding can be used for a variety of purposes, such as boosting working capital, purchasing equipment, recruitment, marketing and product development.
Joanne Whitfield, Fund Director at FW Capital, said: “SMEs are vital to the UK and local economies, and South Yorkshire has some impressive and resilient entrepreneurs with ambitious ideas for growth. Access to finance continues to be a significant challenge for many businesses which is why the new South Yorkshire Debt Fund has been created. We’re looking forward to supporting as many businesses as we can, with investment and also with expertise to help them to thrive. We’re pleased to partner with the South Yorkshire Pension Authority and Foresight to help businesses unlock their potential, boosting confidence and delivering economic prosperity in this area. If you’re a business based in South Yorkshire seeking funding support we’d love to hear from you.”
The South Yorkshire Growth Equity Fund will be managed by Foresight Group and is dedicated to investing in ambitious, growing companies across South Yorkshire. It will provide equity investments of up to £2million, typically as part of larger funding rounds of up to £15million through co-investing alongside Foresight’s other funds. The fund will help companies reach their growth potential and build on founders' visions across all sectors and transaction types.
Claire Alvarez, Partner at Foresight Group commented: “We are delighted to be managing this Equity Fund for the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority. We see great potential in the vibrant business community across South Yorkshire and look forward to supporting their local economy and delivering positive social outcomes by creating high-quality, local jobs.”
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Your Pension is Increasing by 1.7% in April 2025
20/03/2025
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Good news! If you receive a pension from us, your payments will increase by 1.7% from 7 April 2025.
This increase is based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which measures inflation by tracking the cost of everyday goods and services. The government has confirmed that public service pensions will rise in line with CPI for the year up to September 2024.
Who Does This Affect?
The increase applies to:
✅ Pensions currently being paid
✅ Deferred pensions (pensions you haven’t yet claimed)
✅ CARE pension accounts (Career Average Revalued Earnings pensions)
When Will I See the Increase?
- As the increase takes effect from 7 April 2025, your April pension payment will include a partial increase.
- Your May pension payment will reflect the full 1.7% increase.
Why Is My Pension Increasing?
Every year, pensions are reviewed to keep up with the rising cost of living. This ensures your pension maintains its value over time.
If you have any questions, view our
pension increase
page or get in touch with us.
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Missed yesterday's session on Securing your Future: Women, Pensions and Financial Wellbeing? Catch up and access the slides here!
20/03/2025
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If you missed the Securing your future: Women, Pensions and Financial Wellbeing with Jenny from the Money and Pension Service on Wednesday 12th March for International Women's Day, you can watch on our
Pensions Made Simple
page.
You can also access the slides from the session using the download file button at the end of the article.
Please share with anyone who may find this useful. Jenny will be back in the autumn running more sessions around getting the most out of your money and pension so keep an eye on your inbox for more details on these.
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SYPA Director George Graham to retire at the end of 2025.
13/03/2025
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South Yorkshire Pensions Authority (SYPA) has announced that its Director George Graham will retire at the end of 2025.
Mr. Graham has been with the Authority in this role since 2018 and has overseen several important changes in the way in which the Authority approaches its activities including the transition of assets into the Border to Coast pool, the creation of a joint venture with Royal London to manage a substantial portfolio of UK farmland and significant changes to the way in which the Authority interacts with and provides services to scheme members and employers. He has also served as a practitioner representative on the LGPS Scheme Advisory Board and on the PLSA’s Local Authority Committee.
Cllr Jayne Dunn, Chair of SYPA said “George has made a significant contribution to making SYPA the organisation it is today and to the wider development of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), and his successor will have large shoes to fill.”
George Graham said “SYPA is a special organisation and I have been incredibly grateful for the support I have received from both elected members and my team as we have developed our organisation and services. However, with the next round of changes to the Scheme coming down the track it feels like the right time to hand over the reins, although I hope to be able to continue to contribute to the LGPS in various ways.”
The Pensions Authority has agreed to undertake a recruitment process for Mr. Graham’s successor over the summer.
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Link for today's online pension sessions - Female only session with MaPS and Planning for Retirement
12/03/2025
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Here are the links for today's two online pension sessions!
12.30 pm - Securing your future: Women, Pensions and Financial Wellbeing - IWD 2025 session with Jenny Wright from MaPS - click here to join on MS Teams
5.30 pm - Planning for Retirement - click here to join on Vimeo.
If you’re new to our pension sessions, you will need to create a free account with Vimeo in order to view the online live stream of the presentation and to submit your questions using the chat function during the session.
How do I register?
It takes just a few minutes to register and its free to do, we suggest doing this about 10 minutes before the session starts to give you time to get logged in.
Follow our 5 easy steps below to get started:
- You will need to either click the link for the event on the email we have previously sent inviting you to the session, and you will get a log in / sign up pop up or click here: https://vimeo.com/ and use the grey ‘join’ button in the top right of the screen.
- From here you can register by entering your name, email address and then you will set a password which must be at least 8 characters long and contain at least one number and one symbol. For example: password9!
- It will then log you in, if you accessed through the link for the session, you will be ready to go on the right screen.
- If not, you will need to find that link on your emails and then you may need to log in again using your new Vimeo account details.
- You will then see the screen that will show the presentation. If that chat box isn’t already open, click on the ‘chat’ icon on the right hand side of the screen to open up the chat box to ask any questions you may have during the presentation.
Recordings will be available on the website after the sessions if you do miss out.
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