Councillors calls on West Dunbartonshire to back motion for fairer women's pensions

AN SNP councillor is calling on the local authority to back a motion to request the UK Government to look at implementing a fairer pension for women born in the 1950s.

Jonathan McColl plans to put forward a motion at the next full meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council on Wednesday, February 22.

His motion states that: “Council calls upon the UK Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA) with lack of appropriate notification.”

The motion goes on to say: “Hundreds of thousands of women had significant pension changes imposed on them by the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011 with little or no notification of the changes.

“Some women had only two years’ notice of a six-year increase to their SPA.

“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 suffer discrimination in the workplace and struggle to find employment.

“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 that they would be financially secure.

“It is not the pension age itself that is in dispute – it is widely accepted that women and men should retire at the same time.

“The issue is that the rise in the women’s SPA has been too rapid and has happened without sufficient notice being given to those affected, leaving women with no time to make alternative arrangements.”

Mr McColl also hopes the local authority’s chief executive Joyce White writes to the Rt Hon Damian Green MP, secretary of state for work and pensions, with a copy of his motion.

The SNP group leader is further requesting the council agrees to a request from West Dunbartonshire Women Against State Pension Inequality to illuminate the Titan Crane to highlight their campaign.