Victory for the Waspi women failed by rise in pension age

MILLIONS of women forced to wait up to six years extra for their state pensions could now get compensation after blunders meant it took 14 years to properly warn them.

Yesterday an ombudsman found that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failed to do enough to alert them to the rise in state pension age in good time.

Around 3.8million women born in the 1950s missed out on pension cash worth up to £50,000 after the Pensions Act 1995 raised the state retirement age for women from 60 to 65. It was later raised another year to 66.

But letters outlining the change were not sent to those affected until at least 2009. This is despite DWP research in 2000 revealing that many women were still unaware of the switch.

Some only discovered a year before they thought they would collect their pension, said the Parliamentary and health Service Ombudsman.

In Scotland, around 350,000 women have been affected by the pension age rise.

Yesterday’s ruling is a vindi

‘Devastating and life-altering’

cation and victory for the Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign.

Last night, chairman Angela Madden said: ‘The DWP’s own research showed women were not sufficiently aware of the changes, yet they failed to act.

‘This inaction had devastating and life-altering impacts on women across the country.

‘These women have been waiting for many years for compensation. We cannot wait any longer. We are calling on the Government to agree fair and adequate compensation.’

Rosie Dickson, chairman of Waspi Scotland, said: ‘This has been a long process which has united women together across the length and breadth of the UK to fight the injustice of not just one, but two rises to the state pension age for 1950sborn women.’ The 1995 Pensions Act levelled the state pension age at 65 for men and women from 2010.

The 2011 Pensions Act then raised it further to 66 between 2018 and 2020, leaving some women having to wait an extra six years for their pension.

Scores of those affected complained to the ombudsman that they were not made aware of the changes, suffering significant financial loss and emotional distress. The DWP told the ombudsman it made considerable efforts to tell women of the changes, including leaflet and advertising campaigns. But the ombudsman ruled that from 2005 onwards, the DWP did not do enough to communicate the higher state pension age.

Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, co-chairman of the all-party Parliamentary group on state pension inequality for women, called the report a landmark moment. he added: ‘The DWP must urgently address these findings.’

SNP work and pensions spokesman David Linden said: ‘This report exposes multiple failings and instances of maladministration.’

The ombudsman will investigate the damage caused by the failings before recommending if compensation should be paid.

The DWP declined to comment on calls for payouts.