The Northamptonshire Council has declared their support for the WASPI campaign in the recent meeting. The WASPI women still waiting for justice and compensation in the State Pension age changes, let’s see what’s the current update on the issue and what actually happened at the Northamptonshire meeting.
WASPI Compensation
The WASPI women have been demanding justice and compensation for the women who were mentally and financially affected by the decade-long state pension age changes.
The WASPI group fights for the women born in the 1960s and affected due to the State Pension age to 66 for both men and women. The group also claims the DWP failed to inform the affected women on time, which added to their problems.
Earlier this year, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman reported that there was a communication issue from the DWP to inform the concerned age group on the State Pension age changes.
The report also suggests that women have faced financial problems as they were not aware of the legislation or due to sudden changes, so they deserve compensation.
Following the report, the House directed the government to plan the WASPI compensation scheme, but it was halted due to the UK general Elections in 2024.
Now, the WASPI group is again struggling with getting compensation and justice for the affected women as the government is still considering the PHSO recommendation.
A few weeks ago, the WASPI campaign received unanimous support from the West Northamptonshire Council which can somehow build pressure on the UK government to process the compensation.
What happened at Northamptonshire Council for WASPI Compensation?
Two weeks ago, a motion was passed where the West Northamptonshire Council showed its full support to the WASPI campaign demanding fair compensation for not informing the about the state pension age changes to the concerned women.
Mary Jones told the council injustice happened to the affected women and how the state-age pension changes have affected 4 million women, where some of the women already passed away without drawing any pension.
The Council Deputy leader has said that the mental, physical, and financial trauma that women have faced over the years was ignored and the WASPI women do deserve the compensation.
Another Council member has said the WASPI women deserve an apology with the reparation. All 68 members of the council have voted in favor of pushing the WASPI Compensation.
The growing support for the WASPI campaign can influence political decision-makers to act on the compensation scheme and provide relief to the concerned women. However, the support does not mean the government will immediately take action on the WASPI compensation matter.
Who will be eligible to receive the WASPI Compensation if the Government takes the final decision?
The whole matter of WASPI compensation depends on the current government’s decision on compensation, so the eligibility requirements of the compensation will be only known when the government prepares the compensation scheme, however, based on the PHSO report and wASPI demands, we can expect the following women to receive the compensation:
- Women who were born between 6 April 1950 and 05 April 1960 were affected by the State Age Pension changes that happened in 2011.
- The family members of the affected women who have died can also receive the compensation on their behalf.
- Women affected by the DWP’s failure to inform the concerned women about the change.
WASPI Compensation Payout Amount
The affected WASPI group will receive compensation based on the impact of state pension age changes on their life. Based on the PHSO report, the affected women deserve compensation of up to £1000 to £2,900 per person or more.
Though the WASPI group demanded more compensation, the amount is still unknown, so we can’t say how much women will receive when the government comes up with a compensation scheme.
According to reports, the WASPI women can expect a compensation payout of £1000 for each person. The DWP is still considering and looking into the matter, so the exact compensation amount will be revealed after the Government and DWP prepare the scheme of WASPI compensation.
The current support from the West Northamptonshire Council has got the attention of the media, which may put pressure on the government to fast forward the compensation scheme as directed by the House before the election.
The long battle of WASPI women is still on, let’s see when the government will put an end to the campaign with the deserved compensation.