Data crunch: Local Government Pension Scheme funds targeted new strategic asset allocations in the third quarter, with many schemes increasing investments in illiquid and alternative assets while reducing equity allocations.

On the go: The Tesco Plc Pension Scheme and the Tesco Retirement Savings Plan, which together have assets of more than £24bn, have pledged to reach net zero by no later than 2050.

Data crunch: The second quarter of 2021 saw an increase in the number of bulk annuity deals signed by UK pension schemes, with many opting for contracts that can be extended in the future.

On the go: The circa £1.6bn London Borough of Haringey Council Pension Fund has invested £45m in The London Fund, the property and infrastructure fund established by the London CIV and Local Pensions Partnership.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association is consulting on a new set of standards designed to help pension savers identify whether their schemes are meeting the highest standards for incorporating environmental, social and governance factors.

On the go: The £221m Dover Harbour Board Pension and Life Assurance Scheme has appointed River & Mercantile to handle its assets via a fiduciary management mandate following a search conducted in September last year.

On the go: The £1.1bn AIB Group UK Pension Scheme has agreed a £61m deal with Legal & General Assurance Society that will see a tranche of an existing assured payment policy converted into a buy-in policy.

Data crunch: Few defined benefit schemes signed bulk annuity deals in the first quarter of the year, with many building on existing arrangements.

On the go: The East Sussex Pension Fund was one of the first Local Government Pension Schemes in the country to carbon footprint its portfolio, and also one of the first to explore and adopt a climate-aware index.

On the go: The Brunel Pension Partnership, composed of 10 Local Government Pension Schemes with around £30bn in assets under management, has reduced the carbon intensity of all its active portfolios and all but one of its index-tracking portfolios by at least 7 per cent compared with its 2019 baseline.