Pension scandal
Two years ago we told the story of an emerging campaign called WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality). They represent many women born in the Fifties left struggling financially because of a lack of warning about changes to their State Pension age. Here, Deputy News Editor Katharine Wootton brings us up to date on their campaign
WASPI was set up in 2015 by a small group of women passionate about campaigning on behalf of the 3.8 million women affected by changes to the State Pension age. Affecting those born in the Fifties, the changes, first planned for in 1995, saw women’s State Pension age rise from age 60 to 65, in line with men’s. It was then raised again to 66 in the 2011 Pensions Act. However, hundreds and thousands of women say they weren’t properly notified by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about this change in sufficient time to make plans, or even at all! In fact, a Freedom of Information Request found the government waited until April 2009, 14 years after the rules changed, to write to individual women about the changes and only a small percentage of women received letters in this first batch. “Some women have lost as much as £45,000 and many have had to try to find work or go on benefits,” a WASPI spokeswoman said. “Many of those affected worked at a time when women weren’t allowed to join company pension schemes, meaning they have no other income.
“A lot also took on caring responsibilities in
their 50s or gave up work due to poor health in the expectation they’d receive their pension at 60. Some divorce settlements were also calculated on projected incomes which included women receiving their pension at 60.”
While WASPI isn’t against equalising the State Pension age between men and women, the message to the government has always been clear. “We would like fair transitional arrangements, meaning a non-means-tested bridging pension, paid as a percentage of the full State Pension, to cover the period between 60 and the new state pension age.” Today, WASPI has the support of dozens of MPs from across political parties and a number of debates have already taken place in Parliament on the issue. One politician who’s been particularly supportive of the campaign is Conservative MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who has co-founded a crossparty Parliamentary Group on the issue.
“I got involved after many constituents came to me with really difficult stories of how they were affected by the changes,” says Anne-Marie. “So I set up the Parliamentary Group to try to understand the size of the issue and engage with the DWP. “Obviously we’re all living longer and I don’t have a problem with changing the State Pension age. But I think there have been real failings in when and how the information was given by the DWP. Thousands of women cannot be lying when they say they weren’t told. What also worries me is whether or not the DWP has a protocol in place to stop these failings in communication happening again.”
With the support of politicians such as AnneMarie Trevelyan, WASPI is now pursuing two different courses of action to force change. The first is a legal campaign of maladministration against the DWP.
“In 2016, we raised £100,000 from Crowdfunding for lawyers to help us,” says a WASPI spokeswoman. “As part of this we’ve asked women to submit individual complaints to the DWP, which go through four separate stages, before going to the Parliamentary Ombudsman – an impartial regulator. So far, the Ombudsman has received so many complaints it has had to set up a separate department, although we’ve still not heard any verdict from this.”
Should the Ombudsman find in WASPI’s favour, it can ask the government to restore women to the financial position they would have been in had maladministration not occurred.
While this legal battle rolls on, WASPI is still trying to persuade government to offer a Parliamentary solution, which would be quicker and more cost-effective for them, WASPI and the taxpayer. To kick-start this, WASPI has repeatedly requested meetings with Pensions Minister Guy Opperman which have been consistently refused. “Guy Opperman is my neighbouring MP and I have asked for a meeting to discuss the issue, but it’s been rejected without a reason why,” says AnneMarie. “It’s frustrating – I think many issues can be moved forward when people sit down and talk. “Even if he doesn’t comment, it would be great if he could listen to WASPI’s case. The government stance is robust, including from the Prime Minister. But I’m now encouraging WASPI women to write to the Ombudsman and will continue to find ways we can raise this with the Government,” says Anne-Marie.
‘I think there have been real failings in when and how the information was given by the DWP’ Anne-Marie Trevelyan