North East WASPI Women Demand Justice: Pension Campaigners Criticise Budget Overlook
Campaigners from the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) have voiced their discontent with the government following their exclusion from a compensation promise in the recent Budget announcement.
Chancellor's Announcement Sparks Outrage
Waspi women in the north east of England have accused Chancellor Rachel Reeves of overlooking their plight as she unveiled support for victims of other historical injustices. The campaigners had been optimistic that the Labour government would finally address the compensation owed to women affected by the alterations to the state pension age.
Christine Smith, who coordinates the Newcastle, Wear and Tees Waspi group, expressed their disappointment, stating that they had been extremely hopeful for a resolution.
Historical Context and Ongoing Campaign
The Waspi campaign represents women impacted by the government's decision to increase the pension age from 60 to 65 in 1995, and subsequently to 66 in 2012. This change has left many women without the retirement income they had planned for.
During the Budget announcement on Wednesday, a group of campaigners, including Ms Smith, gathered in Westminster to protest against the exclusion.
Ombudsman's Findings and Government Response
A report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, released in March, concluded that the Department for Work and Pensions had inadequately communicated the changes to the state pension age to women. After a six-year investigation, it was determined that the affected women deserved compensation.
Despite this, Chancellor Reeves' Budget included over £13 billion in compensation for victims of the infected blood and Post Office Horizon scandals, but failed to address the issue of women born in the 1950s who were not properly informed about the pension age changes.
Call for Urgent Action
Ms Smith, a former nurse, emphasised that the Waspi campaign would persist, urging ministers to make a swift decision as time is not on our side. She highlighted the anguish and depression caused by the ordeal, as many women lost everything they had worked for.
Speaking to Channel 5 News, Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds refrained from providing a timeline for a decision on compensation for Waspi women but acknowledged that campaigners have been waiting a number of years.
Reynolds mentioned her meeting with the Waspi campaigners earlier in the autumn, noting that she was the first minister to meet them in eight years. She assured them that she was reviewing the ombudsman's reports carefully.
The government, she added, would examine the findings in some detail and give it proper consideration.
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