Council calls for fair transitional pension arrangements for women

8th September 2016

Members of The Highland Council have unanimously agreed the following motion at their meeting today, 8 September 2016.

"This Council calls upon the UK Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born on or after 6 April 1951 who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age with lack of appropriate notification. Hundreds of thousands of women had significant pension changes imposed upon them by the Pensions Act of 1995 and 2011 with little or no personal notification of the changes. Some women had only 2 years of notice of a 6 year increase to their state pension age.

Many women born in the 1950s are living in hardship. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. Many of these women are already out of the labour market - caring for elderly relatives, providing childcare for grandchildren or struggling to find employment after having suffered discrimination in the workplace.

Women born in this decade are suffering financially. These women have worked hard, raised families and paid their tax and national insurance with the expectation they would be financially secure when reaching 60. It is not the pension age itself that is in dispute, it is widely accepted that women and men should retire at the same age.

The issue is that the rise in the women's state pension age has been too rapid and has happened without sufficient notice being given to those affected. This has left women with no time to make alternative arrangements."