The pensions industry has questioned the capability of the new face-to-face guidance service after the Citizens Advice Bureau yesterday unveiled the names of the first 44 delivery centres in England and Wales.

Hargreaves Lansdown head of pensions research Tom McPhail said the geographical coverage looks “painfully thin”.

“In reality, I think the take up of the face-to-face service is likely to be very limited, with the vast majority choosing to go online or over the phone instead. Past experience of investors’ failure to take up their rights to shop around for a retirement income shows that even relatively small barriers can be enough to deter people from taking action even when it is in their best interests. An hour’s drive to get access to the face-to-face service will probably be more than enough to put many people off.

“There is still a crucial role for the pensions industry to play in helping investors to find answers to the questions which will arise from the guidance sessions and in helping them to actually convert their pension savings into a suitable retirement income.”

Talbot and Muir head of technical support Claire Trott said the list provided by the CAB of the branches that will provide face-to-face guidance “falls significantly short of the promise of face-to-face guidance for all, as initially announced in the Budget”.

“When discussing retirement income, seeing someone in the flesh can be very important. There are significant complexities that will be difficult for a lay person to explain to the person on the other end of the phone. They may not know what they are looking at or looking for,” she said.

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