A YORK accountancy firm has partnered with York Centre for Voluntary Service to help hundreds of voluntary and charity workers in the city implement auto enrolment pensions.

Auto Enrolment specialists at JWP Creers, which has offices at York Science Park, and in Selby, are training staff at York CVS, which provides payroll services to more than 70 charities and voluntary groups.

To supplement public funding from York City Council and others, York CVS also provides business services, including human resources, finance and payroll services, and leases space to 20 charities at its Priory Street Centre after gaining National Lottery funding to convert its premises into offices.

York CVS finance manager Joanne Abbott, said: "As the charities and voluntary groups we support are created for community purposes, the prospect of implementing auto enrolment has been a real worry for them due to its added cost and complexity.

"York CVS sought formal training from JWP Creers so we can offer a high level of expertise to help charities and voluntary groups set up auto enrolment pensions in line with legislation.

"Our partnership enables small voluntary groups, who would not naturally go to a large professional firm, to access support based on its high level of expertise."

JWP Creers’ auto enrolment team, part of its payroll department, has so far staged 53 of its own clients with a combined total of more than 3,000 staff, into the Government’s NEST pension and a variety of private schemes and will have a further 44 staged by December.

JWP Creers payroll manager specialising in auto enrolment, Leanne Talbot, said: "Auto enrolment is a good initiative but a burden for many companies already snowed under with bureaucracy and the tough business environment.

"Charities and voluntary groups are vital to our community, and often have only part-time voluntary management committee members, so we are pleased to be supporting York CVS.

"Because of auto enrolment's complexities, some businesses delay thinking about it but the significant penalties for failing to proceed are an incentive to get to grips with auto enrolment and seek advice."

JWP Creers helps businesses assess which staff are eligible, deducts staff contributions and uploads company auto enrolment contributions to the selected scheme. The firm is due to have a further 100 businesses staged in 12 month’s time.