The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said some people trapped in older, or “legacy”, pension products are being left worse off because of outdated charging structures and ageing systems.

The warning affects unit-linked non-workplace pensions and savings products, which hold more than £1 trillion of customers’ money.

Why are older pensions under scrutiny?

The regulator reviewed how pension firms are treating customers under its Consumer Duty rules, which require financial companies to deliver fair value.

While the FCA found many pension products offer good value, it said some customers with older pensions are still paying more than people who have newer versions of similar products.

The watchdog said this can happen because of:

• Older charging structures with multiple fees
• Legacy pension products that have never been updated
• Outdated IT systems that make it harder for firms to monitor whether customers are receiving fair value

What the FCA wants pension firms to do

The regulator says pension providers should actively identify customers receiving poor value and take action to improve their deals.

Some firms are already:

• Reducing or capping charges on older pension plans
• Moving customers into better-value products
• Comparing outcomes between older and newer customers to ensure they are being treated fairly

The FCA wants these approaches to become standard across the industry.

‘Consumers should not be left behind’

Charlotte Clark, the FCA’s director of cross-cutting policy and strategy, said:

“Consumers in older products should not be left behind, and the good news is that some firms are already showing it doesn’t have to be this way.

“We want to see that progress reflected right across the market.”

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What should pension savers do?

If you have a pension that was opened many years ago and have never reviewed it, experts generally recommend checking:

• How much you’re paying in annual charges
• Whether your pension is still suitable for your needs
• Whether a newer version of the same product offers lower fees or better investment options
• If your provider can explain the value you’re receiving

The FCA says firms should be able to demonstrate that customers in older pension products receive fair value, rather than leaving long-standing savers paying more simply because they have remained loyal.

Phoenix Software has completed its transition to working exclusively with the UK public sector, following a strategic division of focus within Bytes Technology Group.

It now serves 11 public sector verticals: Central Government, Local Government, Policing, Fire and Rescue, Defence, Healthcare, Higher Education, Further Education, Schools and Trusts, Housing, and Charity and Social Impact.

The shift formalises a customer focus that has shaped most of Phoenix’s business for more than 35 years. Under the new structure, every account team, consultant, solution architect and customer success manager will work only with public sector organisations.

Bytes Technology Group had previously announced that Bytes Software Services would focus solely on the private sector, while Phoenix would take sole responsibility for the public sector market. With that change now complete, Phoenix is positioning itself as a specialist supplier to government and other publicly funded bodies.

Management argues that public sector buyers are often served by suppliers whose commercial and government businesses sit side by side. In Phoenix’s view, that model can blur the differences in procurement processes, funding structures and operating pressures across public services.

Its sector model is intended to reflect the range of institutions within the public sector rather than treating them as a single market. Different organisations, from local authorities to universities and emergency services, face distinct regulatory, operational and procurement demands.

Clare Metcalfe, managing director of Phoenix Software, described the decision as a defining change for the business.

“We are the UK’s public sector specialist. Not partly. Not alongside other things. Entirely. That is who we are now,” Metcalfe said.

She said that commitment applies across the company’s client base in public services.

“Every customer we serve in Central Government, Local Government, Policing, Fire and Rescue, Defence, Healthcare, Higher Education, Further Education, Schools and Trusts, Housing, and Charity and Social Impact will now be working with an organisation built entirely around their world,” she said.

Sector focus

Phoenix has aligned the business around each of the 11 sectors, with dedicated contacts and specialist knowledge for each area. Each segment has its own procurement frameworks, policy environment and buyer expectations.

That reflects the company’s view that even closely related parts of the public sector do not buy or use technology in the same way. Senior leaders in local government, for example, may work within the same institution while facing very different financial, legal and service pressures.

The same pattern applies across education and healthcare, where procurement rules, risk profiles and operational requirements can diverge sharply. Phoenix says those differences have shaped how it now organises teams and customer engagement.

Metcalfe said the company sees the public sector as a group of distinct operating environments rather than a single audience.

“Phoenix is a partner that has sector specialists built into it, rather than a partner with a public sector team bolted on,” she said.

She added: “The eleven sectors we work across each carry their own pressure: tight budgets, rising demand, regulatory scrutiny, sensitive data, and a workforce stretched thin. What they share is the expectation that technology delivers more without costing more. What they do not share is a framework set, a buyer language, a threat surface, or an operating rhythm. A partner built for the public sector has to hold both of those truths at once – the common ground and the eleven different worlds – and treat neither as an afterthought.”

Long history

Phoenix said the move builds on relationships and public sector work developed over more than three decades. The transition changes the organisation’s focus rather than its underlying market presence.

The business has historically worked in software licensing, infrastructure and related IT advisory services. Its customer base has included councils, NHS bodies, schools, universities, housing providers and charities.

Metcalfe said the shift is intended to sharpen that identity rather than create a new line of business.

“Phoenix has worked alongside councils, the NHS, schools, universities, housing providers, and charities for more than three decades. The frameworks, the credentials, and the customer relationships are already in place. What changes is not the foundation. It is the focus. The UK public sector needs a technology partner that is built for it, not adapted to it. This is us committing fully to where we have always been and where our future sits. Public sector is not a practice for us. It is the whole company,” she said.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

LightSpeed Networks has appointed Matthew Partridge as Managing Director, adding a telecoms executive with more than 30 years of sector experience to its leadership team.

He will lead the commercial and operational development of the infrastructure business as it targets mid-market and enterprise organisations, internet service providers, channel partners and wholesale buyers. He previously held senior roles at Colt Technology Services.

The appointment comes as network operators and service providers compete for business customers in a UK connectivity market shaped by heavy infrastructure spending and rising scrutiny of network reliability and accountability. As data demand grows, buyers are placing greater weight on operational ownership and service assurance.

LightSpeed Networks operates within the LightSpeed group and provides business connectivity, wholesale and network services. Its footprint covers the East of England and the East and West Midlands, where it sells Ethernet, dedicated internet access and wholesale connectivity.

The company says its network reaches 36 towns and passes more than 360,000 premises. It serves mid-market and enterprise customers, public sector bodies, ISPs and channel partners through direct, partner and wholesale routes.

Partridge said the market had moved beyond a basic debate about infrastructure availability and was now focused more squarely on who takes responsibility for service outcomes. His role will involve turning the company’s network assets and service model into offers aimed at a wider business customer base.

“The UK connectivity market has matured considerably. The infrastructure conversation has largely been won. What I see now is a market that needs a different kind of argument, one built around commercial accountability, clear operational ownership and the confidence that comes from working with a provider that is genuinely responsible for the outcome, not just the contract. LightSpeed Networks has the infrastructure foundation and the operational model to make that case credibly. I am here to build the commercial structure around it,” said Matthew Partridge, Managing Director, LightSpeed Networks.

His appointment follows the earlier arrival of Ashley Griffiths as Senior Sales Director. Griffiths joined to lead direct enterprise and partner sales channels, and the two executives now form a broader commercial leadership group spanning enterprise, wholesale and partner engagement.

Market focus

For network operators, competition for business and wholesale customers increasingly turns on service levels, fault handling and direct control over infrastructure, particularly in regional markets where fibre build-outs have expanded rapidly. LightSpeed Networks is positioning itself around that argument as it seeks to widen its presence among larger organisations and channel partners.

The company says its services are backed by service-level agreements and direct operational ownership. It argues that this approach addresses inconsistencies in how providers manage accountability and assurance across the wider market.

Liam Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of LightSpeed Group, linked the appointment to that commercial strategy.

“The businesses and partners we work with need a connectivity provider that takes genuine ownership of the outcome, not just the contract. What we are building at LightSpeed Networks is the infrastructure, the operational model and the commercial leadership to deliver exactly that. Matthew and Ashley further strengthen our commercial leadership, enabling us to take that proposition to market with even greater depth and clarity. That is what our customers and partners deserve,” said Liam Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of LightSpeed Group.

LightSpeed Group includes LightSpeed Networks as its infrastructure arm and LightSpeed Broadband as its retail business, which serves households and small businesses across the same fibre footprint. The latest leadership change signals a stronger push to develop the group’s business-facing and wholesale operations alongside its consumer activity.

Partridge takes up the role at a time when fibre network owners across the UK are under pressure to turn built infrastructure into long-term commercial relationships. For regional operators, that often means winning more enterprise, public sector and wholesale contracts in areas where network coverage is already in place.

LightSpeed Networks sees that opportunity across its existing footprint in the East of England and the Midlands, where it owns the underlying network and sells services directly and through partners. It intends to build its commercial structure around that owned infrastructure and service model.