Six campaigners from the many thousands who have been involved in Age UK's campaign against changes to the state pension visited No 10 Downing Street this week, to urge David Cameron not to increase women's State Pension age beyond 65 until 2020. With the Pensions Bill soon to receive its final reading in the House of Commons, this is the government's last opportunity to stop thousands of hard-working women up and down the country being penalised by the Pensions Bill.
330,000 women born between December 1953 and October 1954 will be hit hardest, having to wait between 18 months and two years longer for their state pension. The 33,000 women who will have to wait an extra two years, will lose on average £10,000 of state pension income as a result.
These women have already been asked to adjust their financial plans to take into account increases in their state pension age as a result of the last government's pensions changes. If the current bill goes ahead, this will be the second time they will have to alter their plans and retire even later.
Any increase in the state pension age has to ensure that people have enough time to plan for change. We believe there should be a 10-year lead time and any decision should be informed by independent evidence and analysis.
MPs across all political parties recognise the unfairness of these changes.
We believe that the existing timetable for equalisation should be adhered to, as agreed in the Coalition Agreement, but at the very least we are calling on the government to:
• Mitigate the effects of these changes on the worst-affected groups of women, those whose state pension age would rise by 18 months or more, and put in place transitional arrangements to protect those who do not have sufficient time to plan for a revised Pension Age.
• Ensure there is a clear plan of action as to how all those affected by the change will be contacted to inform them of the implications.
Rising life expectancy is welcomed but any changes to the state pension age should not impact unfairly on those who struggle to meet ends meet. Age UK will continue to campaign against these unjust proposals.
Article Comments
Why on earth do we women of a 'certain age' expect any respect or fair treatment from our government now?
I was born in May 1954.
I married in 1972.
The council told me there was no hope of housing for at least 5 years.(Though the Vietnamese boat people were being better served).
I got NO maternity benefit when I had my children in '74 and '75.
My job was not protected so that I might return at will as it is now.
I claimed income supplement ONE winter as my husband was a farmworker ...when the summer (overtime) season came round I was OBLIGED to return every penny immediately.
I did not get to pay the reduced womens stamp when I returned to work as the option had been removed.
I did not get ANY childcare payments or tax relief when I did go back to work...
Therefore I was obliged to take menial evening work at low rate forcing my husband to take over the kids care.
I have never claimed any top up benefits over the years since returning to work.
I had to adjust my retirement sights first to 64 and 1 month.
My husband like many more is out of work and lives on the pension he was FORCED to take due to company policy of anyone over 50 being denied the option of redundancy.
Now I have had to further adjust my pension expectation to 66.
The government continue to rob my wages each week of whatever they decide is "fair" and assure me that in the long run I will actually get MORE in pension pay after the new ruling.
What makes my government assume that I will live long enough to claim even 1 penny back?
THEY may have divine knowledge ...but I'm inclined to think I may well be too dis-enchanted to hang around to be 66+ with a system that favours the young ALL the time now that I am OLD! (And I guess, without a voice as ever).
My only benefit?
I thank my government for not taking my 2 boys off to war as many previous ones have...but never fear;they are still under 40...there's time yet.
Maureen Grand
21st Sep 2011 at 6:50 pm