To receive any questions relating to items on the agenda from members of the public and replies thereto.
Minutes:
Ann Varker referring to Motion 527 asked whether Councillors were aware that in 3 months 200 people had signed a petition with regard to this issue.
Carol Bray representing the Devon WASPI Supporters Group and referring to Motion 526:
I would like to thank the Chair and Councillors Roach and Woollatt for proposing the Motion for fair transitional state pensions for women born in the 1950’s
Will Mid Devon District Council help to bring justice to the women of Mid Devon and throughout the rest of the country who have disproportionately born the financial burden of equalisation of the state pension age? WASPI (Woman against state pension’s inequality) has been campaigning for fair transitional arrangements for woman born in the 1950’s who have been affected by the rapid rise in state pension age with little or no notice. WASPI is not affiliated with any political party but is working with all parties to see redress for this injustice. We are not against the equalisation of the pension age but the unfair way that it has been implemented. The 1995 Pensions Act increased the state pension age for women to 65, gradually equalising with the state pension age for men by 2020. The 2011 act accelerated and further increased the age to 66 for both men and women by 2020. But, they forgot to tell us. Some women received just one year’s notice or never received a letter at all. Had we been told sooner we could have made different arrangements along the way; many have taken redundancy or early retirement packages, given up paid employment to care for family members and grandchildren, expecting our pensions at 60? Why wouldn’t we, it’s been that way for 70 years or so. The consequence is a significant loss of pension income, £40,000 or more for those waiting an extra 6 years for state pensions. Finding work at 60+ is difficult, many women are in ill health and others are suffering the humiliation of applying for benefits. Many women are facing dire financial hardship, some having to sell their homes, particularly hard hit are single and widowed women but for those with a supporting partner even it is humiliating to be asking for handouts and some partners are having to work longer to maintain the household income. So you will see that it affects the whole family, husbands, children, grandchildren and parents even. This generation of woman have not had the opportunity to build up private pensions or savings as men have, no equal pay, barred from joining private pensions schemes until the 1990’s, no free childcare like women have today. Now at what should be the end of our working life we are being treated unfairly yet again. Will the Council please support the motion for fair transitional state pension arrangements for 1950’s women?
The Chairman stated that, the pension issue would be discussed a little later in the meeting and that the Syrian Refugee issue would be addressed by the Decent and Affordable Homes Policy Development Group at its meeting on the 13 September.