The Chancellor announced in the Budget today (26 November 2025) that the government will pay out the surplus in the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) in the pensions of previous mineworkers, including to the 461 members of the BCSSS in Chesterfield.

This decision was warmly welcomed by Chesterfield MP, Toby Perkins, who recently hosted a meeting in Chesterfield Library with BCSSS trustees, and who wrote personally to the Chancellor and to the Minister for Industry advocating for action on this issue.

MPs in mining areas had been fruitlessly raising these issues with Conservative Governments for many years. It took a Labour government to make the decision in the budget last year to return the surplus in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (MPS), giving £1.5 billion to over 100,000 members across Britain, including 1295 Chesterfield citizens who were with the MPS.

The decision in the budget today ensures parity for BCSSS members. In total, £2.3bn will be returned to 40,000 former coal miners and their families. This will mean a 40% increase to the annual pensions of mineworkers, an average increase of £100 per week for each pensioner or their families.

This decision rights a historic wrong against mineworkers, ensuring those who powered our country are provided fair pensions. Toby has paid tribute to the campaigners who have fought for justice for coalfield communities on this issue.

Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield, said: “I am delighted that the budget today has righted a historic injustice against mineworkers and confirmed that the government will transfer the surplus from the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) back to its members.

This was not even a topic that was up for discussion under the previous government and is a change that only a Labour government would make.

This decision will directly benefit 461 BCSSS members in Chesterfield. Just as last year’s budget returned £1.5 billion to over 100,000 workers in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, now all those who worked in the industry in the former mining communities like Chesterfield will receive their due.”

John Dickinson, BCSSS member and Chesterfield resident, said: “This is a great decision for BCSSS members in Chesterfield and across the country. The scheme has been working hard over many years alongside Toby Perkins and other Coalfield MPs to make our case to the Government. Labour has finally given previous mining industry workers and communities the pensions we are owed.”