Active and Deferred

Newsletter

September 2026

on 2026

Jill Mackenzie

Chair of the BTPS Trustee Board

Welcome to the BTPS member newsletter. I’m pleased to introduce this year’s newsletter, keeping you updated on the progress of the Scheme over the past year.

In June we were deeply saddened to learn that Trustee Director Nigel Cotgrove had died. Nigel cared passionately about representing members’ interests, and his contribution to the Scheme and its members was exceptional. We will miss his expertise, personality, and his unwavering commitment.

At the start of 2026, David Viles retired from the Trustee Board after six years. I’d like to thank him for the significant impact he made to the Scheme in that time. In April, we welcomed his successor, Helen Charnley, as a new employer-nominated Trustee Director. Helen currently serves as the Director of Group Audit, Risk and Controls at BT Group, and I look forward to her deep experience strengthening the collective skills of the Trustee Board.

Over the year, we have maintained our focus on the Scheme’s core objectives. We have concentrated on the funding plan and the resilience of the Scheme’s investment strategy, and we’ve also paid close attention to the quality of services provided to members. We continue to actively monitor the Scheme’s funding position during ongoing global economic uncertainty and market volatility. The Trustee Board remains focused on managing the Scheme prudently and achieving full funding over time.

Your feedback continues to play a vital role in the way we evolve our services. I would like to extend my thanks to members who completed our annual member satisfaction survey, which this year increased again to 87.3. We are constantly looking for ways to further develop the service we provide you and I’m glad to see the impact of our recent work is being felt.

Finally, it was fantastic for the Trustees to once again spend time with members in person during our 2026 visit to Silverstone Park, one of the Scheme’s largest property investments. A former RAF bomber base, Silverstone Park is now a thriving technology and engineering hub, home to more than 90 businesses working across advanced manufacturing, motorsport, digital technology and sustainable transport. It was a fascinating opportunity to see how long-term investment can support innovation, skilled employment and environmental progress. Read on to learn more.

The member visit was also a useful opportunity to celebrate BT’s 180-year anniversary, for which we have put together a special anniversary quiz later on in this newsletter. I hope you enjoy it.

Member visit to...

Silverstone Park

Where innovation accelerates – Silverstone Park, technology, engineering and enterprise hub

For this year’s member visit, we headed to Silverstone Park to see how long-term investment can support innovation, employment and sustainable growth. Members explored a thriving technology and engineering hub, hearing from Trustees Pauline Rourke and Steve Dickson, and learning from the investment team about why the Scheme invests in assets like this and how they help support the long-term security of members’ benefits.

What is Silverstone Park,
and how is BTPS involved?

Previously an RAF bomber base, Silverstone Park is now a major science and technology hub across 131 acres, with around 940,000 sq ft of commercial space. More than 90 businesses call the Park home, bringing together advanced engineering, manufacturing, technology and motorsport expertise.

During the visit, members toured companies based at the estate, including the Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC), Dumarey and Lunaz, seeing first-hand how companies based at Silverstone Park are developing specialist technologies and creating skilled employment opportunities in the area.

The Scheme, through a joint venture with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), owns 50% of the estate. Valued at more than £260 million, Silverstone Park is one of the Scheme’s largest property investments and is an example of how BTPS invests in long-term assets intended to deliver financial returns while supporting wider environmental and social outcomes.

Silverstone Park has generated strong financial returns for the Scheme and its tenant base includes high-quality businesses such as Ducati UK, Porsche and Spyder Motorcycles.

Its social impact is also significant. Employment on site has increased fivefold to more than 1,500 people, while The National College for Motorsport and The Silverstone University Technical College support young people and help develop the next generation of engineering and technology talent.

Pauline and Steve ended the day by sharing a special BT-themed cake to celebrate 180 years of BT.  

Watch a video filmed with BTPS members at Silverstone Park

Watch now

Member Profile:

Roger & Lorraine

One of the members who joined us for this year’s visit was Roger Payne and his wife Lorraine.

Roger began his career with BT when it was still known as Post Office Telephones. During his time with the business, he saw first-hand the shift from electro-mechanical telephone systems, such as Strowger exchanges, to digital switching through System X. Roger later moved from telephone switching into the transmission of trunk and local circuits, before spending his final three years at the West Midlands Network Control Centre. One of Roger’s favourite parts of his working life was his GPO apprenticeship.

Why did they visit Silverstone?
Having experienced major changes in telecoms technology throughout his career, Roger was particularly interested to learn more about the futuristic technologies being developed at Silverstone Park.

180 years of BT Test your Trivia

To celebrate 180 years of BT, we’ve put together a quiz looking back at some of the people, places and innovations that helped shape the way Britain communicates. Test your knowledge and see how many milestones from BT’s history you can remember...

The answers are at the bottom of the page!

Q1

BT traces its origins back to 1846. What was the name of the original company that started it all?

Q2

What was the name of the government department that nationalised Britain’s telegraph services in 1870?

Q3

In 1877, a new invention transformed communication forever. What was introduced to Britain that year?

Q4

Who designed BT’s iconic red telephone box in the 1920s?

Q5

Which emergency number, launched in London in 1937 and still supported by BT today, was the world’s first of its kind?

Q6

During the Second World War, a BT engineer helped design the world’s first large scale electronic computer at Bletchley Park. What was his name?

Q7

What was the name of the world’s first digital telephone exchange, opened by BT in London in 1968?

Q8

Which satellite enabled BT to transmit the world’s first live colour television pictures across the Atlantic in 1962?

Q9

BT was a pioneer of fibre optic technology in the UK. In which decade did BT first install fibre optic cables?

Q10

In the 1980s, BT launched its first commercial mobile phone service. What was it called?

Q11

Unlisted on Ordnance Survey maps for reasons of national security when it first opened, the BT Tower finally appeared for the first time in what year?

Q12

Which London suburb was the previous site of our research laboratories where many technological breakthroughs were made?

Q13

In what year did BT officially separate from the Post Office and become a distinct company?

Q14

What was the name of the BT system that allowed customers to dial long distance calls directly, without operator assistance, introduced in the 1950s?

Q15

Which BT mascot, introduced in the late 1970s, was part of a marketing campaign encouraging BT customers to make more phone calls?

Q16

What was the name of BT's mass-market dial-up internet service for the general consumer market, launched in 1996?

Q17

After Directory Enquiries was opened to competition, what was the new number for BT's service?

Q18

Before the rise of mobile phones, what handy pre-paid item did customers use to make calls from BT's popular coinless payphones found in shops and stations?

Q19

BT's superfast fibre broadband service, launched in 2010, was marketed under what brand name?

Q20

How many consumer and business retail connections does BT Group currently serve across the UK and internationally?

News in brief

Changes to inheritance tax and pensions

From April 2027, some lump sum death benefits from pension schemes (and any unused defined contribution (DC) savings including Additional Voluntary Contributions) may be included in the value of your estate for inheritance tax.

For BTPS, this is expected to apply mainly to certain lump sum payments on death. For example, where a lump sum may be payable if you die within five years of starting your pension, or if you die before taking your pension or have any unused Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs).

Other benefits, such as spouse or dependant pensions are expected to remain outside inheritance tax. This is a complicated area and the details have not been finalised by HMRC, so may change. For further information on the changes, see gov.uk/inheritance-tax

BT Benevolent Fund

First founded as a Post Office charity in 1853, the BT Benevolent Fund now serves past and present BT employees and their dependants, who are suffering financial hardship. BT Benevolent Fund is a separate organisation to BT and to the BT Pension Scheme.

Assistance is provided in a wide variety of ways, including grants to relieve the pressure of priority debt arrears, the repair or replacement of basic household appliances or to fund changes to a person’s home, required to cope with illness or disability, such as stair lifts, walk-in showers and provision for wheelchair access.  

Elderly former BT employees with very low incomes can also apply for a weekly grant of up to £70 per week, whether living at home or in residential care.  

To find out more about how the BT Benevolent Fund can help you, or to make a donation, visit benevolent.bt.com or telephone 0800 756 5555.

Pensions Dashboards

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is working to deliver Pensions Dashboards (‘dashboards’) to the UK. Dashboards aim to connect people to their pensions information, allowing them to see workplace, private and State Pension information together in one place. The new service is expected to be publicly available via the government-backed MoneyHelper website in the next 18 months.

To help test the new service ahead of launch, BTPS connected to the Pensions Dashboard in November 2025 and since then, some volunteer BTPS members have been helping successfully test the technology. MaPS will continue its user testing over the coming months.

BT Group partners
with Gavin & Stacey star to put digital training ‘on track’

BT Group and UK digital inclusion charity AbilityNet have teamed up with Gavin & Stacey star, Melanie Walters, best known for playing Gwen in the hit BBC series, to help older people stay safe online, as new research reveals one in five are “too intimidated” to attend traditional tech classes.

Melanie joined a group of retirees on board a restored 1950s Pullman-style steam engine on the Epping-Ongar heritage railway for a day out with a difference - bringing modern tech to a classic setting to get their online confidence back on track by learning alongside their peers.

On board, a group of people aged 65 and over, took part in digital workshops about online safety and put their new tech skills to the test.

It comes as new research from BT Group reveals over half (54%) of older people fear they could become a victim of an online scam and almost nine out of 10 (86%) would welcome simple, clear guidance to help them understand what’s genuine online. Embarrassment remains a barrier to asking for help, with 16% admitting to hiding scam concerns from their children to avoid appearing incapable.

The most common scams were messages or emails pretending to be from a bank or official organisation, such as HMRC (62%), pop up messages pretending your device has a virus (49%) or other suspicious messages or calls (49%).

The average loss reported by victims was

£1,059.40

per incident.

Among those who were scammed of money, 11% had lost more than £3,000 in a single scam.

At BT Group, scam-blocking efforts have been driven by significant network innovation. Across 2025, the Group’s team of more than 3,000 security professionals blocked 1.6 billion attempts to access malicious domains, stopped 200 million scam SMS messages, blocked 61 million scam calls and flagged a further 175 million nuisance and fraud calls to keep customers protected.

Melanie told how the scammers - who contacted her via email claiming her account security had been breached - had access to her name, email address, home address and other personal information. And it was only an unusual glitch in the form she was using to input her account details that caused her to pause, and check the communication was genuine with her bank.

She said:

Unfortunately, scams are now part of everyday life, and that’s why these BT Group and AbilityNet sessions matter. They give people a safe place to share their worries without embarrassment and help them develop the confidence they need to protect themselves and be independent online.”

Melanie Walters

Retired teacher Kathryn Ross, 71, from Cornwall always considered herself savvy online but told of her embarrassment after losing £70 to an online scam that she never told anyone about - not even her bank.

It might not seem a huge amount of money but to someone on a pension £70 is a lot. But the strongest feeling was embarrassment and irritation. I’m not surprised almost one in five over 65s have admitted to hiding scam concerns - it’s embarrassing to admit you feel vulnerable.”

Kathryn Ross

Kathryn isn’t alone, as the research findings reveal a growing digital confidence gap among older people that BT Group and AbilityNet are working to close through free in-person digital skills sessions for over 65s and disabled adults, helping them to build their confidence and independence online.

Free in-person digital skills sessions are available to over 65s in locations across the UK including London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, the East Coast of Scotland, Newcastle, Brighton and Hove, Sussex, Belfast and surrounding areas. Participants can attend a workshop or request a one-to-one session in their homes tailored to individual needs, from learning the basics with a smartphone or tips on staying safe online. The sessions are supported by free online webinars available for anyone in the UK to join.

Contact AbilityNet at https://abilitynet.org.uk/ or ring 0300 180 0028.

Looking after your unmarried partner or dependant  

If you’re not married or in a civil partnership and you have a partner (or another adult) who relies on you financially, it’s worth taking a few minutes now to help look after them later. Completing an adult dependant nomination (a Nomination) helps the Trustee know who you’d like them to consider when you die. It’s one of those small bits of admin that can make a big difference to someone you care about.

What is an adult dependant pension?

BTPS can pay a pension to a surviving spouse or civil partner when a member dies. If you’re not married or in a civil partnership, the Trustee will consider paying an equivalent pension to another adult who is wholly or partly financially dependent on you at the time of your death. A nomination helps the Trustee understand your wishes, but it does not guarantee that a pension will be paid and is not legally binding on the Trustee.

How to nominate an adult dependant

Complete your nomination online by logging in to the member portal at btps.co.uk then go to ‘My account’ then ‘If I die’. Or download a Nomination form from our website at btps.co.uk/FormsAndGuides.
Or call us to request one.

What evidence might be needed?

When you die, your adult dependant will need to provide evidence they were financially dependent on you at the time of your death. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but some commonly used evidence are things such as joint mortgage statements, rent agreements, bank account statements and utility bills that show financial dependency. It’s never too early to have a conversation with them and ensure they know where the paperwork is!

Eligibility is assessed at the time of death, in line with scheme rules and legislation, and any award is at the Trustee’s discretion.

Take five minutes now: If you’re unmarried and someone depends on you financially, it’s a good idea to put an adult dependent nomination in place.

Satisfaction survey

This year, the results of our internal survey show that member satisfaction has improved to 87.3, up from 86.5 last year.

Year on Year Performance

Your feedback is the main driver of our improvement campaigns. If you receive an email survey from us or are offered the chance to leave feedback after a phone call, please take the time to tell us what went well and what we can do better.

Keep in touch

To keep up to date with important news about your pension, register for our member portal and log in to manage your pension online.

We regularly verify the identity of our members to protect against fraud, so please keep your contact details up to date, particularly if you change address. If we lose contact with you, we may have to suspend your pension until we can confirm your identity.

Visit: btps.co.uk

Call: 0800731 1919 (or +44 203 023 3420 from overseas) Lines open Mon to Fri, 8:30am - 5pm exc. Bank Holidays.

Email*: member@btps.co.uk

Write*: BTPS, Sunderland, SR43 4AD

* Please include your name, date of birth and either your BTPS membership number or National Insurance number in any correspondence.

This newsletter is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Where appropriate, individuals should seek professional advice before making decisions relating to their pension. Your BTPS benefits are always subject to the BTPS Rules and relevant legislation. If there’s any difference between this document and the BTPS Rules or legislation, the BTPS Rules and legislation will take precedence.

Portal terms of use

We have updated our member portal terms and conditions. You can find the new terms of use at portal.btps.co.uk/TsAndCs

How we use your personal information:

BT Pension Scheme Administration Ltd t/a Brightwell, on behalf of the Trustee, will process personal data relating to you, and to any person whose personal data is provided in connection with potential benefits, in order to administer the Pension Scheme.

For more information on how we process your personal data and what your individual rights are under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) and Data Protection Act 2018 (‘DPA 2018’), please read our latest Privacy Notice at btps.co.uk/PrivacyNotice or you can request a copy by contacting dpqueries@brightwellpensions.com

Answers: 1. The Electric Telegraph Company 2. The General Post Office (GPO) 3. The telephone 4. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott 5. 999 6. Tommy Flowers 7. The Empress Exchange 8. Telstar 9. The 1970s 10. Cellnet 11. 1971 12. Dollis Hill 13. 1981 14. Trunk dialling 15. Buzby 16. BT Internet 17. 118 500 18. A BT phonecard 19. BT Infinity 20. c. 30 million