Carbon Bubble Risk, Pension Fund Fiduciary Duty & Risks To Local Taxpayers Through LGPS Underfunding and Exposure to Investment Losses in Defined Benefit Schemes

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Rhondda Cynon Taff Council,

The Bank of England, HSBC, Citi Bank, Mercers, and the World Bank are clear that climate change is a major and growing financial issue. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has said that climate change poses physical, liability and transition risks, which are all increasing.

Therefore, carbon bubble risk is now a clear material financial risk, and it is in the best interests of pension fund members to have regard to and actively manage, financial risks posed by climate change.

Additionally, as the individual ensuring compliance with SIP documents and signing off on the pension fund annual accounts, the s151 officer has a fiduciary duty to local taxpayers - who would ultimately be required to bail out the defined benefit LGPS fund, in the event of significant losses suffered in carbon markets, should the LGPS fund not manage carbon risk prudently.

We are therefore requesting the Pension Fund/ Committee/ Board would provide information or set out the appropriate response of the fund to the following questions:

(1) Please provide the two most recent versions of the Statement of Investment Principles (SIP)
(2) Will the fund be reviewing its SIP documents to pursue best practice and review carbon risk management and investment mandates in advance of LGPS pooling? If so when?
(3) Please provide current contract and procurement documents for the Investment Adviser(s) to the Pension Fund Committee.
(4) Please provide current procurement and contract documentation for the external fund manager(s) as set out in investment management agreements.
(5) Please provide a list of compliance breaches identified by the Head of Finance/ s.151 officer and brought to the attention of the Pension Fund Committee, during the last three (3) financial years.
(6) What steps have the Pension Fund Committee and Board taken to address the financial risks posed by climate change?
(7) Since the December 2015 Paris COP agreement, Peabody bankruptcy, and Exxon Mobil downgrade, has the pension fund changed its approach to climate change risk management and investment in carbon stocks?
(8) Please provide Pension Fund Committee and Board meeting minutes where climate change, and carbon bubble investment risk was discussed, and minuted 2014 - 2016.
(9) Have you surveyed or formally consulted with your individual members or employers for their views on your ESG policies or practices in the last 10 years?
(10) How much does the fund spend on ESG engagement services and can you give any examples of engagement activities relating to climate change/carbon risk from the last 10 years?

We are asking these questions to understand how/ if UK local authority pensions funds fiduciary duties are being met in regard to climate change related financial risks - and to appraise financial risks to taxpayers in situations where fiduciary duty to manage carbon investment risk has been breached.

Yours faithfully,

Joel M Benjamin

Freedomofinformation, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Dear Mr Benjamin

Thank you for you request for information.

Your request will be processed in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (or Environmental Information Regulations 2004, if it
relates to environmental information).

You should ordinarily expect to receive a response to your request no
later than 20 working days following the date of submission to the
Council. We will contact you should this not be the case.

Yours sincerely

Corporate Governance Team
for Director of Legal & Democratic Services

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Dear Freedomofinformation,

Please note a response to this FOIA request is now weeks overdue. Please respond ASAP.

Yours sincerely,

Joel M Benjamin