Victory for campaign groups as high court orders judicial review of women's state pension age increases
3rd December 2018 10:35
by Rachel Lacey from interactive investor
A high court judge has granted a judicial review to determine whether recent increases to women’s state pension age were lawful.
The case was brought by BackTo60, a campaign group representing women born in the 1950s who have borne the brunt of recent of increases to the state pension age.
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Until 2010 women received their state pension at age 60. However, this has gradually been increasing and currently state pension age is 65 for both men and women and will increase to 67 by 2028.
State pension ages rose faster for women, in order for them to be equalised with men’s.
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BackTo60 and other campaign groups, notably WASPI (Women Against State Pension Increases) argue that many women born in the 1950s were not warned of the changes and have suffered financial hardship as a result.
BackTo60 is campaigning for all women born during the 1950s to have their financial position restored to the position it would have been, had the state pension age remained at 60.
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Commenting on the decision, Nathan Long, senior analyst at Hargeaves Lansdown says: “The state pension is the bedrock of retirement income for everyone and needs to be preserved to ensure people can retire with confidence.
"With people living longer raising the state pension age seems sensible, the problem is that doing so creates people who miss out under the system.
“It’s hard not to feel sympathy for the women have seen their retirement age jump so significantly and the manner in which the changes were communicated remains perhaps the biggest bone of contention.
"The judicial review looks to be the best chance to challenge the amendments as the government has continually stonewalled the issue, claiming the cost of not equalising state pensions is prohibitively expensive.’
A date for the review is yet to be set.
This article was originally published in our sister magazine Moneywise, which ceased publication in August 2020.
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