In October 2010 HMRC announced that pension tax relief would be restricted by reducing the annual allowance. From 6 April 2011, the annual allowance is to be reduced from its current level of £255,000 to a much lower threshold of £50,000. However, under the new rules any unused allowances would be available for carry forward for up to three years.
HMRC have published further guidance on the new rules. The guidance is available on the HMRC website.