Updated vote reporting template and guidance published by Pensions UK

Pensions UK (formerly the PLSA) published technical guidance on September 30, 2025, which reflects feedback from across the industry and is aligned with UK Stewardship Code and DWP Implementation Statement requirements. The guidance is designed to be used with the vote reporting template issued in March 2025.

The DWP Implementation Statement is a requirement for UK occupational pension schemes to explain how they have acted on their statement of investment principles in the past year. This Statement, which is part of the annual report and must be published publicly, details the scheme's stewardship activities, such as voting behaviour and engagement with investment managers, and explains how these actions have aligned with the policies outlined in the SIP. The purpose is to ensure that pension schemes are actively managing their investments in line with their stated principles.

The new Pensions UK guidance is intended to support improved transparency, consistency and engagement between asset managers and asset owners. It provides explanations for each field within the template and clarifies data expectations, formatting and interpretation. It also creates a standardised way for schemes to report voting activity.