By Steve Conley, Founder of the Academy of Life Planning and Lead Advocate, Get SAFE
He did everything right.
He worked hard. He paid in. He trusted the system.
But when it came time to draw on the pension he had earned through years of public service, it was gone. Not reduced. Not delayed. Gone—erased as though it had never existed.
This is the story of Ian—a quiet, determined man whose life has been turned upside down by a system that should have protected him. His is not just a story of financial loss. It’s a story of institutional betrayal, legal silencing, and the devastating human cost of regulatory failure.
A Pension Promised, Then Withheld
Ian was automatically enrolled into a public sector pension scheme while working for his then employer in local government. It was a defined benefit scheme—meant to offer a secure, dignified retirement. But when the scheme ended, Ian discovered something no one should ever have to face: the records that proved his entitlement had been destroyed. There was no trace of his contributions. No statement. No acknowledgement. Nothing.
The pension he had paid into—through his labour and taxes—was gone. Not through market turbulence or economic crisis, but through what he believes was deliberate removal of records and systematic denial.
The Local Pension Board, chaired by a representative employed by Sheffield Hallam University, had oversight of the scheme Ian contributed to. Yet even now, the university promotes its own access to the same pension scheme—describing it as providing “excellent benefits”—without reference to the independent audit that reportedly uncovered serious concerns.
“Seized LGPS workplace pension funds can be used by Trustees to pay internal auditors… LGPS goes into surplus, HMRC’s Tax Gap grows—all funded by the taxpayer.”
— Ian
More Than Money
Without his pension, Ian has also lost the income tax he would have paid on it—money meant for the public good. That revenue was lost too, swallowed into a growing Tax Gap that no one seems willing to explain. He believes the funds taken from him may now be paying internal auditors—while he, the true victim, is left without redress.
And yet, he’s not asking for pity. He’s asking for truth.
Not Just One Battle
Ian’s experience doesn’t stop with his pension. He was also part of a national class action involving hidden fees charged to millions of consumers. The case, once valued in the billions, collapsed quietly with no explanation to the people it was supposed to serve. No closure. No justice. Just silence.
And again, the pattern repeats: the powerful retreat behind lawyers and process, while the victims—those without money, position, or influence—are left voiceless.
The Broken Machinery of Justice
Ian’s fight has exposed something far bigger than two unresolved cases. It has revealed a justice system built not on outcomes, but on appearances.
He discovered that complaint-handling bodies are paid not for resolving complaints, but simply for issuing decisions—decisions that companies can, and often do, ignore. The complaints process, he says, has become a business in its own right. One that offers the illusion of redress without the substance.
And when victims like Ian speak up, they’re met not with support, but with threats, intimidation, and stonewalling.
Still Standing
Despite it all, Ian hasn’t backed down. He continues to write, to document, to reach out to MPs, regulators, and journalists. He refuses to be silenced.
“No number of lawyers around me, nor threats, will detract me from seeking transparency… I have used seemingly reputable, highly regulated companies and still been defrauded twice and abused repeatedly.”
— Ian
This is what courage looks like.
A System in Need of Change
Ian’s story is not an isolated tragedy. It’s a warning. It’s what happens when governance becomes internal, oversight becomes optional, and victims are treated as problems rather than people.
It’s what happens when justice is automated, compartmentalised, and commodified.
At Get SAFE, we exist for people like Ian. People who are left behind by the very systems built to protect them. We believe their stories should be central to reform, not footnotes in official reports.
This Is a Call to Listen
There is a government consultation underway on the fairness of public pension schemes. It talks about people “opting out.” But Ian didn’t opt out. He was forced out. Forgotten. And we must not let that become the norm.
Justice must not be reserved for those who can afford it. Truth must not depend on who shouts the loudest. And dignity must never be optional.
Ian’s story deserves to be heard—not because it’s exceptional, but because it isn’t.
Let’s start listening.
About Get SAFE
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) was born from a simple truth: too many victims of financial abuse are left to suffer in silence.
We exist for people like Ian—for the ones who did everything right, only to be failed by the systems they trusted. We know that behind every vanished pension, every ignored complaint, and every stonewalled letter is a person—frightened, exhausted, and too often alone.
Get SAFE offers more than sympathy. We offer structure, support, and solidarity.
We provide a voice where there’s been silence, and clarity where there’s been confusion.
We stand beside those who have been exploited, not just to help them recover—but to help them reclaim their story and rebuild their future.
Because financial justice is not a luxury.
It’s a human right.
If you or someone you know has been affected by financial exploitation, we are here.
You are not alone.
👉 Learn more at: Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation).
Academy of Life Planning 
“There was no dispute about the pension contributions—every penny had been taken and kept. But the records were destroyed, and the member erased. Years later, it was only because he’d held on to every P60 that the truth came into view. It wasn’t until an independent audit flagged the same irregularities—completely unaware of the victim’s existence—that the scale of the governance failure became undeniable. And still, those overseeing the fund said nothing. Not to the auditors. Not to the regulators. Not to the person whose future they had stolen.”