Waspi Northamptonshire woman says cuts are 'a slap in the chin'

Jill Robertson (far right), part of the Northamptonshire Waspi group, was among the demonstrators in Westminster

Jill Robertson Members of the Northamptonshire Waspi group attend a protest in Westminster in London during the autumn budget speech. Six women stand together holding purple signs that read: "Northampton Waspi South East" — Jill Robertson (far right), part of the Northamptonshire Waspi group, was among the demonstrators in Westminster

A campaigner from the group Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) has described the issue of excluding compensation from the autumn budget as a “slap on the chin”.

Around 40 members of the Northamptonshire branch joined other Waspi groups from across the UK outside Westminster as Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Budget speech on Wednesday.

Among them was Jill Robertson, the coordinator for Northamptonshire, who expressed her disappointment. She said: “It’s another slap on the chin that we haven’t had any reference to it in this budget, which is what we were looking for.”

The Department for Work and Pensions said it would continue to listen to Waspi and receive feedback.

Waspi was founded in 2015 to fight “for justice for all women born in the 1950s” affected by the changes to the state pension age.

Many women were affected when previous governments decided to raise the retirement age from 60 to 65 in 1995 and later to 66 in 2012.

The change left them without the retirement income they had originally anticipated.

The Parliamentary and Healthcare Ombudsman published a report in March which stated that the Department for Work and Pensions had failed to adequately communicate changes to the state pension age for women.

Ms Robertson added that she was not “devastated” by the budget cuts “because it is not surprising.

“They missed us again, and they have for at least three years.”

About 40 members of Northamptonshire Waspi, including Mary Jones (centre), protested in London on Wednesday

Jonathan Harris Three women stand side by side. On the left you see a red-haired woman in a purple sweater. She stands next to a blonde woman in a yellow shirt with black trim - they each wear a pink sash "WASPI" on them. On the right is another blonde woman, wearing a blue coat with a multi-colored scarf. — About 40 members of Northamptonshire Waspi, including Mary Jones (centre), protested in London on Wednesday

Mary Jones, who is also a member of the Northamptonshire group, said it was “absolutely wonderful” to be in Westminster on Wednesday.

“We did our best to make them aware that we were there,” she said.

“We were bitterly disappointed, but luckily a good number of MPs came out afterwards, spoke to us and gave us so much hope.

“They told us to keep going, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re never leaving.”

Waspi groups are considering their next steps, including possible legal action.

But Ms Robertson was hopeful the Government would address the issue after committing to pay more than £13 billion in compensation to those involved in the disaster. contaminated blood and Post Office Horizon scandals in the budget.

“Different people have different ideas about how it can be tackled,” Ms Robertson added.

‘These groups that want to go to court are only holding everything else back, so a real trial will take a long time.

“I hope the actual approach will be similar to what they discussed in 2019.”

About 3.5 million women are believed to have been affected by the pension state changes in 1995 and 2012

Del Smith A woman at a Waspi protest in London during the autumn budget speech. She carries a placard on her back detailing the 'top eight scandals', with Waspi at the top. — About 3.5 million women are believed to have been affected by the pension state changes in 1995 and 2012

In 2019, Labor proposed that women born between April 6, 1950 and April 5, 1955 would receive £100 for each week of entitlement lost.

Those born between April 6, 1955 and April 6, 1960 would receive smaller amounts.

The maximum compensation would be £31,300, with an average payment of £15,380.

“This was a serious report that required serious consideration,” a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said.

“We will continue to listen respectfully to the women involved and ensure that we take the lessons learned to heart.”