Swindon Town fined £22,900 for pension errors
Swindon Town Football Club has been fined £22,900 for failing to meet government pension rules.
The Pensions Regulator said the club did not put eligible workers into the government's workplace pension scheme, despite being warned in August 2014. Charles Counsell, from the watchdog, said: "We're very keen employers get this done so that employees get the pension that they're due." Swindon Town said it is now compliant with the pension rules. Mr Counsell, the executive director of automatic enrolment, added: "They had plenty of time to do it and we were in communication with them a lot in the period until that point (in August 2014)." The notice to comply with pensions was made in August 2014, with a deadline to enrol staff by 17 October 2014. A spokesman from the club said the fine was "unfortunate". He added: "The fine related to the period when the ownership of the club was being contested by the former chairman and is yet another painful example of the severe adverse consequences that the uncertainty and instability caused in regularising the business affairs of the club. "The club is now completely up to date and compliant with its pension obligations and contributions." Although the club is now compliant, it will still need to pay off the fine and make back-dated pension contributions.