WASPI women celebrate major £100,000 milestone

WASPI women have raised £100,000 in donations, as they seek to take the next step in their campaign. Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) is a campaign group representing millions of 1950s-born women impacted when their state pension age was risen from 60 to 65, and subsequently 66.

While not opposing a rising state pension age, the group argues women were not provided with ample notice about these changes and so suffered financially and emotionally as a result.

Some women took their complaints to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), which found in 2021 that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had been “inadequate” in its communication of female state pension age changes.

Although the issue is still ongoing, the WASPI campaign has taken issue with the investigation, arguing there have been “inconsistencies” in the process.

Consequently, they decided to start a fundraising appeal last week, with a target of £100,000.

In a momentous moment for the campaign group, the target has been reached 17 days ahead of the end of the fundraiser – as at the time of writing, some £100,090 had been pledged.

Taking to Twitter, the WASPI campaign said: “Incredibly, through digging deep in difficult times, WASPI supporters have helped us reach our initial crowdfunding target of £100,000 to get our judicial review case into court and well on its way. Thank you so much.”

The campaign also vowed it is “not going away” in its push for its aims to be realised.

In another vital update, the campaign shared it had filed papers for the judicial review on March 1, 2023.

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WASPI argues the PHSO has “failed to follow due process” in regard to their investigation of the DWP.

In 2021, the PHSO concluded there was maladministration on the part of the DWP, stating: “We consider that, if DWP had made a reasonable decision in August 2005 and then acted promptly, it would have written to affected women to tell them about changes to their state pension age by, at the latest, December 2006.”

However, WASPI stated the Ombudsman “appears to believe” most women would have not received the letters until much later – and argue this would have been “too late” for most to make different decisions about their retirement.

The campaign group has therefore argued the Ombudsman is “mistaken” about the impact maladministration had on WASPI women.

WASPI also said the Ombudsman has taken an “irrational approach” to examining the injustice maladministration caused.

Several people shared their personal experiences via the WASPI Crowdjustice page.

One person, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I did not receive any information from the DWP. There is no equality with my circumstances.”

A man named Peter stated: “My wife too has lost over £34,000 in lost DWP payments. Born in 1955, and like many other women she had no time to prepare for retirement. Albeit, she also had to work until she was 66.”

Susan wrote: “I left work at 58 due to health issues thinking I would receive my state pension at 60, but I had to wait another six years just because I was born in June 1955. If I had more notice and time to prepare I would not have had to live off my savings for six years, which have all now gone.”

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A PHSO spokesperson told Express.co.uk they are considering what action the DWP should have taken, to put right the injustice found.

The spokesperson said: “We have shared provisional views with complainants, their MPs and DWP. 

“Once we have considered further evidence we will publish a full report on our findings.”

A DWP spokesperson added: “The Government decided over 25 years ago that it was going to make the state pension age the same for men and women as a long-overdue move towards gender equality.

“Both the High Court and Court of Appeal have supported the actions of the DWP, under successive governments dating back to 1995, and the Supreme Court refused the claimants permission to appeal.”

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