The review was conducted in April 2021 and carried out by Tom McPhail, director of public affairs at Lang Cat consultancy, with support by a team from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and called for the department to look at how Pension Wise can be reformed to achieve ‘more efficient and effective outcomes’.

McPhail stated that the ‘organisation could not have had a more challenging start’ as MAPS was created in 2018 through the merger of three different legacy organisations, one of which had ‘persistently struggled to establish an effective identity and operating model’.

The report found that MAPS’ total budget for 2020-21 was £175.7m, of which £34.8m was temporary due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the total expenditure was reported at £140.4m which is an underspend of £34.8m. McPhail stated that this ‘caused concern’ about the department’s ability to budget and plan effectively and to deliver its services to meet consumer needs.

McPhail a