Changes to pension will see women ‘living in hardship’

COUNCILLORS are calling on the government to reconsider pension changes which will see millions of women ‘living in hardship’ until their pension kicks in later than they were expecting.

Tameside council has voted to support a motion urging a rethink of transitional arrangements for women born on or after 6 April 1950, who are affected by the increase of the female pension age to 65.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign group argues these changes were made in an unfair manner in a faster timescale than originally proposed, and did not give those affected the time to make alternative arrangements.

Cabinet member for lifelong learning, Coun Leanne Feeley proposed the motion at a full council meeting.

The motion stated that women had seen their retirement plans ‘shattered with devastating consequences’.

She said: “It is right the WASPI campaigners are calling on those who govern us to consider more carefully the human outcomes of their decisions and policies.

“That such a debate was not held prior to 1995 was not bad enough, that their calls are still falling on deaf ears in 2018 is both unkind and unfair.

“This motion fundamentally is about a request for fairness.

“Fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the state pension law, and some of those women are here with us today in this room.

“The changes affect a minimum of 3.8 million, some of whom were given as little as 18 months’ notice and for some women this means up to £40,000 in losses to their pension.” She added: “How sad that we’ve been here in this room over the last 12 months talking about the celebrations that 100 years ago women won the right to vote, we still feel the weight of injustice and inequality with echoes of voices from the past just as is relevant today.”

The motion was seconded by Ashton Waterloo ward councillor Pauline Hollinshead.