Saturday, March 6, 2021
  • Contact
Pension Changes
  • Government Policy
  • Pension Changes
  • Pension Information
  • Pension Rights
  • Retirement Pension
No Result
View All Result
Pension Changes
Home Pension Changes

WASPI women have given a stark message to the new chancellor

March 16, 2020
in Pension Changes
WASPI women have given a stark message to the new chancellor
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

WASPI women have given a stark message to the new chancellor

A group of women hit by a controversial government policy have delivered a message to the new chancellor, Rishi Sunak. But will their message fall on deaf ears?

Related posts

House Bill Promises Free Coronavirus Treatment, Pension Aid

Virus Bill’s Private-Sector Pension Changes Spook Retirees

March 6, 2021
Freeports, green recovery and levelling up: What North West business leaders want from Budget 2021

Freeports, green recovery and levelling up: What North West business leaders want from Budget 2021

March 2, 2021
The WASPI campaign

As ITV News reported, on Saturday 15 February, campaigners protested outside Cardiff Castle. It was about a change to state benefits. People came out in support of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI):

On a very wet Welsh Saturday , #WASPI and the 1950’s Women of Wales have gathered in the Capital to protest the pension changes that have seen women born in the 50’s having to work an extra 5 years. The pension age for women is set to rise to 66 later this year. pic.twitter.com/oY64m8KABA

— Dan Moffat (@Dan_Moffat1998) February 15, 2020

MPs took part as well:

💜At the 1950s Wales women rally in Cardiff this morning with my fellow @WelshLabour colleagues @KevinBrennanMP @RebeccaEvansMS @JaneHutt & @JackieJonesWal1 🐝it will take more than #StormDennis to dampen our spirits 💪🏻 #Backto60 #WASPI #WePaidInYouPayOut #PensionReformAlliance pic.twitter.com/LeRRjavaWf

— Alex Davies-Jones MP (@AlexDaviesJones) February 15, 2020

The government policy shift they were protesting about has affected millions of women.

Swindling women out of money?

As The Canary previously reported, the 1995 Conservative government’s Pension Act included plans to increase women’s state pension age to 65, which is the same as men’s. But the government did not contact the women affected until 2009 – 14 years later. At first, the government planned to slowly phase the reforms in. But in 2011, then chancellor George Osborne decided to speed up the process by several years.

As the WASPI campaign explains, the result of these reforms is that:

hundreds of thousands of us are suffering financial hardship, with not enough time to re-plan for our retirement. Women are telling us that they can’t believe their retirement age has increased by 4, 5 or 6 years and they didn’t even know about it!

They have seen their retirement age increase by up to six years. It has meant women cannot claim their pension until 65 from November 2018 and until 66 from October 2020. But the changes haven’t just affected working women.

Hitting the poorest hardest?

What people don’t always realise is the WASPI scandal doesn’t just mean some women have to work longer. It’s also caused a surge in benefit claims. As a parliament research briefing found, between May 2013 and May 2019 there was a staggering 382% increase in the number of women over 60 claiming out-of-work benefits like Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). That is, of course, just the women who claim benefits. There may be thousands more struggling on their partner’s pensions.

The highest benefit rises were in the north and Scotland:

Rise in benefit claimants due to WASPI

After losing a High Court battle over the changes, another campaign group, Back to 60, is appealing the decision. Also, as The Canary previously reported, parliament has repeatedly debated this issue. But successive governments have refused to budge.

“One of the greatest injustices of recent years”

Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan was at Saturday’s demo in Wales. He said:

this group of women have been terribly treated by the state. It’s an injustice, what’s happened. They were told all along they’d get their pensions at 60… it’s one of the greatest injustices of recent years

Cardiff West MP @KevinBrennanMP says the Government needs to act. #WASPI pic.twitter.com/bMuoCKg3Ob

— Dan Moffat (@Dan_Moffat1998) February 15, 2020

ITV News reported that:

Campaigners now want the new chancellor Rishi Sunak to look again at the issue ahead of the budget, scheduled to be in less than a month’s time.

But the signs aren’t good that the WASPI women will get anywhere with Sunak.

A new chancellor: a new broom?

In 2019, he agreed that pensioners living in the EU should have pension rises stopped three years after Brexit. Moreover, he said that adult social care being funded by an additional contribution scheme would form “part of” the government’s “conversation”. And he also dodged an MP’s questions on potential post-Brexit “freeports”, where tax regulations are reduced – but where conversely employers may skip people’s national insurance contributions, leading to reduced pension pots.

It’s unlikely that Sunak, or the new Conservative government, will give any ground to the WASPI campaign. So, it seems the fight for fair treatment of millions of women will continue.

— WASPI women have given a stark message to the new chancellor to www.thecanary.co

Previous Post

Undermining SF is a tactic to deflect from FF and FG’s failings

Next Post

HMRC warns of higher pension tax bills for savers  

Next Post
HMRC warns of higher pension tax bills for savers  

HMRC warns of higher pension tax bills for savers  

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECOMMENDED NEWS

Treasurer’s Office: Teacher unions helped on controversial pension changes

Treasurer’s Office: Teacher unions helped on controversial pension changes

12 months ago
Radical Roundup: 10 stories that have got buried – Week 3 February 2021

Radical Roundup: 10 stories that have got buried – Week 3 February 2021

2 weeks ago
Multiemployer pension reform not happening this year

Multiemployer pension reform not happening this year

3 months ago
EU Court to Consider if an Irish Pension can be Exempted from a UK Bankruptcy Estate

Trustee Quarterly Update – June 2020

9 months ago

FOLLOW US

  • 81 Followers
  • 27.6k Followers

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • Government Pension Policy
  • Pension Changes
  • Pension Information
  • Pension Policy
  • Pension Rights
  • Retirement Pension
  • Uncategorized

BROWSE BY TOPICS

2021 2021 Pensions bbc news CCP retirement check my state pension civil service pension reform Disabled pensions drawdown government policy examples uk how much is state pension lic pension plans Minutes of Meeting new state pension PAB Meeting Minutes PAB Minutes Pension age pension changes announced today pension issues pension meaning pension ombudsman pension plan pension reform definition Pensions Advisory Service Pensions Brexit pension scheme uk Pensions outlook retirement 2 million retirement pension sbi life saral pension plan calculator scams scheme funding Single mothers pensions State Pension State Pension age state pension changes state pension forecast State Pensions State triple lock the pensions regulator Therese Coffey uk pension age uk pension for eu citizens after brexit UK State Pension uk state pension age uk state pension calculator

POPULAR NEWS

  • Multiemployer pension reform not happening this year

    Multiemployer pension reform not happening this year

    5 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Exit payment cap: Implications for the LGPS

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Public Service Pensions Update | October 2020

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is the average UK retirement income?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • NEST: More than a pension | Country Report

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Virus Bill’s Private-Sector Pension Changes Spook Retirees
  • Yorkshire councillor received wages 15 months after leaving position pays money back in full
  • Bridge the pension gap this International Women’s Day

Category

  • Government Pension Policy
  • Pension Changes
  • Pension Information
  • Pension Policy
  • Pension Rights
  • Retirement Pension
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

House Bill Promises Free Coronavirus Treatment, Pension Aid

Virus Bill’s Private-Sector Pension Changes Spook Retirees

March 6, 2021
Yorkshire councillor received wages 15 months after leaving position pays money back in full

Yorkshire councillor received wages 15 months after leaving position pays money back in full

March 5, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact

© 2020 Please contact us on partnership@pensionchanges.co.uk if you would like to reach our audience.

No Result
View All Result
  • Contact

© 2020 Please contact us on partnership@pensionchanges.co.uk if you would like to reach our audience.