CEREDIGION MP Ben Lake is championing the cause of the 3,000 women in Ceredigion born in the 1950s who were not informed of changes to government policy that have meant their state pensions have been delayed by up to six years.

Mr Lake is holding a public meeting in Cardigan’s Guildhall at 7pm on Thursday, July 26 to offer help and support to constituents.

In 1995 the government introduced a gradual increase of the State Pension Age for women from 60 to 65 but failed to notify the women concerned. Another change in 2011 accelerated the rise to 65 and increased it to 66 for both men and women by 2020.

Mr Lake said: “Thousands of women across Ceredigion have been affected by the rise in the state pension age, with many given little or no warning to make alternative plans, often to devastating consequence.

“I have joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group in Westminster on state pension inequality for women with the aim of holding the government to account on the issue of transitional arrangements to compensate 1950s-born women.

“I want to get the best outcome for all women affected by these pension changes and I urge all constituents across Ceredigion affected by these changes to attend the public meeting in Cardigan so that they can receive some advice and support.”

The changes prompted the formation of campaign group WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality).

One Ceredigion woman affected is Pamela from Adpar.

“I was made redundant in 2011.” she said. “I expected to get my state pension when I turned 60 in 2015. It was a massive shock to get a letter in 2012 from the pensions service telling me I would have to wait another six years.

“ I have made a complaint and I hope lots of other women do too. We have been treated really badly. We mustn’t take it lying down.”

All women concerned and their friends and families are urged to attend the public meeting in the Radley Room at the Guildhall to discuss the matter with Mr Lake and his team.

  • The Pensions Act 1995 legislated for women’s State Pension Age to rise slowly to 65 between April 2010 and April 2020 to bring it in line with men’s State Pension Age.

  • Freedom of Information requests reveal that the Government waited until 2009, i.e. 14 years after the 1995 Act, before it began writing to the individual women affected.

  • In March 2011 the Government stopped writing to women because the Coalition Government was considering further legislation. This became the 2011 Pension Act, raising the retirement age to 66. The government began writing to the women affected again in 2012, giving many of them very short notice of the change.