SWINDON Town insist the club is "up to date and compliant'' with its pension obligations and blamed the £22,900 penalty received from the Pensions Regulator on the ownership battles that previously plagued the club.

Town released a statement this afternoon after Swindon Town Football Company Limited (STFC) was fined the sum after it failed to put eligible workers into a pension scheme or comply with other workplace pension duties.

STFC was issued with a compliance notice on August 18, 2014 directing it to automatically enrol staff and pay contributions but failed to comply by the deadline of October 17, 2014.

There were several further delays in the employer complying with their duties, and as a result TPR’s intervention escalated from a focus on remedial action to one of enforcement action.

The fine includes daily penalties charged at £2,500 a day and this case marked the first time that the regulator has issued the escalating penalties to an employer for non-compliance.

Employers failing to meet their duties face an initial fixed £400 penalty and the possibility of further fines on top of that if they continue to fail to comply. As of December last year, more than 1,500 fixed penalties had been issued, along with 31 escalating penalty notices.

Power and his Swinton Reds 20 firm took control of the club from Jed McCrory's Seebeck 87 company in December of 2013 and he legally became the majority shareholder after a High Court judgment the following July.

But the club insisted the fine was a by-product of the protracted battle for control of the club between current chairman Power and former owner McCrory.

A club statement said: "It is unfortunate that the club has been fined by the Pensions Regulator.

"The fine related to the period when the ownership of the club was being contested by the former chairman and is yet another painful example of the severe adverse consequences that the uncertainty and instability caused in regularising the business affairs of the club.

"The club is completely up to date and compliant with its pension obligations and contributions.''

Charles Counsell, executive director of automatic enrolment, said: “This case illustrates what can happen when an employer buries their head in the sand and disregards their duties.

“If things aren’t going well, then talk to us; don’t ignore us.

“Failing to comply on time will not save you money. Not only do you risk a fine, you will also have to make back dated contributions.”

TPR is the regulator of work-based pension schemes in the UK. Their statutory objectives are to protect members’ benefits and reduce the risk of calls on the Pension Protection Fund.

The TPR has stressed that employers should not ignore their duties. A spokesman said: “TPR will work with you to help you comply, but we will use our powers where appropriate. Deliberate noncompliance will not be tolerated.

“If you have received a fine, you will still have to pay it even if you then go on to become compliant.”

STFC is classed as a medium-sized employer and this meant daily penalties were charged at £2,500 a day. Smaller employers would face smaller daily penalties, for example those with up to four workers would pay £50 a day for repeated non-compliance.

A full breakdown of the Pensions Regulator's report on Town is here