Border to Coast Pensions Partnership has confirmed that it will expand to include 18 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds with more than £110bn in assets under management from April 2026, following the completion of governance processes across all of its existing and prospective partner funds.

The announcement follows the partnership’s “signal of intent” made in August 2025 and aligns with the government’s Fit for the Future pooling agenda, which required LGPS funds to confirm their chosen pooling arrangements by 30 September.

Once complete, the expansion will see seven new funds - Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, and West Sussex - join the existing 11 Border to Coast partners.

Together, the seven new entrants represent around 900,000 members across 2,500 employers and hold approximately £45bn in assets.

These funds, which were previously part of the ACCESS pool, were required to seek new pooling arrangements after both ACCESS and Brunel Pension Partnership were not approved under the government’s Fit for the Future criteria.

The funds had previously confirmed their intention to join the Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, ahead of the government's 30 September partner selection deadline.

Meanwhile, the existing 11 partner funds - Bedfordshire, Cumbria, Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Surrey, Teesside, Tyne & Wear, and Warwickshire - represent a further 1.1 million members and around £65bn of assets.

Governance and legal work to formally bring the seven new funds into Border to Coast as
equal shareholders is expected to be completed by 31 March 2026.

Border to Coast chief executive officer, Rachel Elwell, said the expansion would strengthen the partnership’s collective capabilities and impact.

“In coming together, we can use our scale to be more effective, more resilient, and more impactful," she continued.

"Together we will build on our collective strengths and continue to make a difference for the LGPS,” added Elwell.

The development marks a major milestone in the government’s ongoing efforts to consolidate and scale up LGPS investment pools, designed to improve efficiency, governance, and access to a broader range of investment opportunities.

Earlier this year, Pensions Minister, Emma Reynolds, reaffirmed that expanding existing pools would be key to achieving the scale needed to boost long-term returns and support investment in UK growth.

The announcement also comes amid broader movement across the LGPS pooling landscape.

A “material” number of Brunel Pension Partnership funds are expected to join the Local Pensions Partnership Investments (LPPI) pool, with early discussions reportedly underway regarding a potential integration of Brunel’s business.

The Cornwall Pension Fund was the latest to confirm plans to join LPPI as funds continue to finalise new pooling arrangements following the 30 September deadline.

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