Royal Courts of Justice – venue for handing in the papers for a judicial review for the 50s women
CROSS POSTED ON BYLINE.COM
Back to 60, the campaigning group who are supported by 738,000 of the 3.9 million 50s women waiting up to six years to get their pensions, lodged a claim at the High Court against the Department for Work and Pensions yesterday.
This is the first stage of taking real action to put right the injustice suffered by the women ever since the government embarked on a policy of continually raising the pension age. It will be followed by a High Court hearing where a judge will be asked to allow the review to go ahead. It is bound to be challenged by the government which is determined not to pay up but ministers will have to justify their actions.
Backto60 lodged the documents with only 48 hours to spare as the courts start their summer recess tomorrow and the courts will not hear cases until after October 1.
The move is the culmination of action taken by the group which now involves support on the issue from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which intends to raise the issue at the United Nations, the Fawcett Society and other ampaigners.
A legal statement from Binberg Peirce & Michael Mansfield QC reads:
“The basis of the legal challenge is that the pension policy implemented by successive governments in respect of women of a particular age group (those born in the 1950s) constitutes a gross injustice and is discriminatory. The impact on the economic, social and mental well being of these women, who rightly enjoyed a perfectly legitimate expectation of satisfactory provision in retirement, has been devastating.
“The extent of individual distress and hardship is only now becoming evident through real stories of women around the UK. It is deeply ironic that all of this is done in the name of equalisation and equality, when the very means employed to achieve this are themselves discriminatory.
“It is intended that the current pension policy be subjected to both public and judicial scrutiny and, therefore, steps are now being taken towards mounting a judicial challenge.”
At the same time Stephen Lloyd, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne, whose coalition government made matters worse for 50s women by backing an acceleration of the rise in pension ages, has finally got a meeting on behalf of Waspi with the Ombudsman to discuss whether there was maladministration in not informing women.
His comment is picked up by Frances Martin:
The government is going to face challenges from all sides this autumn.
Westminster Confidential 
Brilliant, as always 🤗
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Absolutely brilliant NEWS! I am one of the many who have been robbed of their state PENSION! Having to wait an extra 6 years is grossly disproportionate and grossly UNFAIR!
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Me too Debbie….Let’s hope we get our well earned dues…..will change our lives for the better, just as they changed them for the worse without informing us……other than the back page of the Financial Times….appalling!..
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I also have to wait extra 6 years for pension. I’ve paid full stamp for 47 years so far, only 35 (30 originally) needed for full state pension? How dare these people deny us, without any notification whatsoever, what we were told we would receive at 60!!!! Disgusting, outrageous, and a female leader who doesn’t give a hoot… she should hang her head in shame.
At least Dick Turpin wore a mask!
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#OneVoice thank you for supporting all 50s women
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Thank you David for all you do for #OneVoice, i really appreciate that you keep raising our profile which will help us to reach more 1950’s born women and let them know they have a voice and that we are taking legal action to recover our stolen pensions xx
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From ALL sides which is exactly how i hoped things would go. Move ’em up, head them out Rawhide yeehaa!
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Shame I couldn’t read the small bit by Frances
Marin
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Great news! Thank you! We need to keep going with this.
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It’s been a very long hard slog with so many disappointments along the way. The time is finally coming to rectify the betrayal of a cohort of older women who are the backbone of this country, who were seen as an easy target and were Women! Thank you for your unfailing support David your clear vision has illustrated the way forward when things were often so dark. Honest and heartfelt thanks to you 🙏🏼
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Great news that a stand is being made again this appalling injustice. Unfortunately Judicial Review is hardly ever successful, no matter what the evidence. Hardly any cases come through positively.
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Where have you got that information please ?
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Not accurate methinks – a bit more of an in depth look at a headline… May be worth a read…. https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2015/03/23/the-true-statistics-behind-judicial-reviews-success-rates/
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Thank you for your support David
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Thank you – now clear.
Helena
Sent from my iPad
>
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Great article David. X
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Let’s hope that this Judicial Review or a General Election will result in a change back in retirement age sooner rather than later. The 1950s women are spearheading a charge from women born in 1960/61 too as although we are not in the headline, we had 6/7 years added to our expected retirement age of 60.
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Born August 1960, this is exactly what I needed to hear, I was concerned early 60s women might be overlooked! Thank you Alison.
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I know what you mean Johanna . There must be a chance that the 1960s women will be overlooked despite assurances we will not be …I am just hoping that the 1950s women will succeed and the injustice will be undone for all affected even if they were born a man or after 31.12.59! Personally, I have had 7 years added as born in 1961…no notification just like the 1950s women.
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Always knew we weren’t overlooking sixties born women we were the trail blazers. It’s such a shame that we couldn’t Hv fought ALL together. Conquer divide is falling into the hands of Government, their private pension advisor pals Hv been trying this for last few years.
Let’s keep at it ladies and gents and supporters
Angela
#BATTLEBUS
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About time these crooks fraudsters in power were booted out austerity wasn’t for the rich only the poor
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Yes what about the men and some got a double whammy to and we support fully our sisters. Us only 70 years fighting. Nothing, but I support all groups barbarically and totally discriminated against and ONLY 70 PLUS YEARS of fighting frozen pensions!!!
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Thank you David. Clearly explained and hopefully this will now move ahead positively…..
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I sincerely hope there is a satisfactory outcome from this. People born late 1954 and 1955 school leavers were the last to leave school at 15, the times then much different. So many of us had to help our parents who were poor. Many of us came from large families, we couldn’t stay at school to better ourselves, our income was needed. I even had a paper round for 2 years before I started work. My reward (and others) is to wait an extra 6 years for my state pension.
My sister is 3 years younger, left school at 16, and I’d been working 4 years by then. She will be 66 yrs & 8 months when she is eligible for S/P, only 8 months difference to mine! Who the hell did the maths??? What an injustice!
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Mt to Anne born March 1955, now 2021 before I can retire having startedwork at 15. Now have over45 years full paid stamp ( you only need 35 to get a full pension !) Like you did all the “right” things , even elected to pay full stamp so I could retire at 60….
Completley robbed and very very angry ….,
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Time is of the essence !!
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Reblogged this on hilary77blog.
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Thank you so much for helping this abandoned generation !!!!
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Thank you for all your support. Waspi will fight on we won’t give up. This is great news.
Thanks again.
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Thank you for your support.
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Thank you, David, for all your help and your continued interest in this dreadful situation. And while the government faffs about doing nothing women suffer.
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Best news about our plight I have heard since the start. Well done to everyone involved you are amazing. A glimmer of hope at last.
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Thank you David Hencke for summing up an autumn of discontent. 1950s women have been campaigning for years as different groups but the government and MSM have chosen to ignore us.m they cannot ignore the High Court. #Onevoice #63isthenew60
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I’m so glad someone is fighting for this.. Thank you, thank you, thank you
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These women have been treated awfully. They will never give up and good for them. Stick with it.
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This is discriminatory and an injustice to 50s women. Apart from the fact that is one of the most derisory pensions in Europe. This Government is promoting inequality, the worst since Victorian times.
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After spending millions on palaces and clocks
And send abroad.
The jump for the fifties women to 6 yrs is
Unthinkable!!!!!
Even a yr wud hv been acceptable( don’t agree) but we cud hv managed that
We are the worst country for paying pensions in the world ( shame on our government!!!!!!!
We hv pd in for 40 yrs and more!!!!!
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Surely when you start work and paying into your pension it’s a contract …haven’t they broken that … if it’s OK for us it should be the same for them …no early retirement for them either …
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I am 59 & STILL have had no official notification that I won’t be getting my pension next year. Not one letter!
I have to wait until I’m 67 to get mine now. Paid in for 42 years out of the required 35 needed, so feel that I’ve overpaid by 7 years. That means I’m entitled to my pension at 60 in 9 months time.
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Cheryl Meehan. That is disgusting! Still no letter! Proves the point. You shouldn’t have to wait until 67 anyway. Like me you started work thinking you retired at 60. If they were going to change the pension age there should have been an open discussion on what the age should be for all and then everybody should have been notified.
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Great well done WASPIE
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I think it should be back to the age of 60 people have just not got the same up and go we will not have much retirement life left to enjoy
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Great news for women. I was born March 1960 would I come under this decision as I have to wait till I’m 66
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Let’s hope Kim that women like us who were born just after the 1950s will not be forgotten. Yes, we had 6/7 years added to our SPA of 60 and just like the 1950s women, received no notification.
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It was an injustice and a cruel discriminatory decision by the government. It has to be challenged and I hope all the women who are suffering can have their voices heard finally and compensation for our gross losses. It’s time to sort this out once and for all.
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Thank you. This unjust ruling must be overturned. Thousands of 50s women have nothing to live on. Tired from raising children who contribute to a system now being denied their mothers; tired from working and contributing over 40 years – money rightfully theirs taken from them; tired from caring for elderly parents who also contributed. If this was a private pension fund there would be an outrage. £47,000 each woman. Disgraceful.
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Its about time the government stopped stealing all of our pensions they are not welfare we have paid in for 50 years and it’s our money
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About time i lost so
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This is fantastic news. The government have stolen from me alone about £24000 and their big fat wages mean they own multiple homes whilst I haven’t enough money to own one home I can call my own
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Maladministration? More like gross incompetency, greed, inefficiency , inconsideration, selfishness (the people making these rules retire 10-20 years before me to spend time swanning about, looking after their grandchildren and getting to spend extra years with theirs that they deprive me of and due to ill health when they are gracious enough to let me retire I won’t have the strength to spend time with them
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Please support this. It was unfairly trust upon us.
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So much hope being built up
😞
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At least something is happening. What successive governments has done to the affected women (myself included) is nothing short of theft and misappropriation of our funds. Ignore us at your peril. Hope that this is a game changer for the government and a result for us to allow us to have the retirement that we worked and paid for without complaint.
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I wanted to inform you in advance, that there will be a rally organised by the WASPI group in London on the 10th October from 12 to 6pm. We are expecting a large turn out with other groups joining in too. I will be there representing both WASPI and WE PAID IN, YOU PAY OUT. Would you be able to join us and write an article please. It would be very much appreciated, as the 1950’s women are not getting the publicity we so need.
Thank you
Jean Mclaren
________________________________
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Did you receive my email regarding the demo in London organised by WASPI. BACK TO 60 AND ‘WE PAID IN YOU PAY OUT’ groups? Would you be able to join us On October 10th from 12.00 meeting at Speakers corner, Hyde Park. And possibly write an article about the 1950’s women struggling to survive because we can’t have our State Pension until we are 66! As you know we have been robbed and it’s such a serious situation. Please help us to get our message out there to the Government.
Thank you
Jean Mclaren
Member of WASPI & WE PAID IN, YOU PAY OUT.
________________________________
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Thanks for your comment. Much earlier I accepted an invitation from BackTo60 not only to come to the rally but to give a speech there. Don’t worry, it will be reported.
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David you truly are one of the best ..if only we had a government that was compassionate and fair and dedicated to helping us get justice .as much as you we would have nothing to worry about ..we would be able to feed ourselves pay our bill not be afraid to go out because of the cost of bus fares, be able to visit the dentist ,not freeze in the cold months ,not dread birthdays christmas because can’t afford gifts for the grandchildren,it just goes on and on…. 6 years is a sentence it’s like being in prison. ..I have 10months of my sentence left to do and everyday is painful……. I for one (of tens of thousands ) am very grateful to you for all you have done and continue to do…
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Quite agree with everything you say Barbara but would just add that the 1961 born women such as myself have an extra 7 years to wait (we were the unlucky one who had a 5+1+1 increase kindly added by our embezzling government).
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I started working at the age of 15. I understood at the time I would retire at 60 and able to claim my state pension. I have worked whilst bringing up our 4 children and have paid in over 40 years national insurance contributions. I had no official notification that my state pension age had increased from 60 to 66. I have Lupus and was retired on the grounds of ill health at the age of 61. My husband is retired and his only income being his state pension. We are struggling financially and are currently in the process of selling our home to bridge the financial gap until I am able to claim my state pension in two and a half years. This is not the future we had envisaged. My husband also started working aged 15, often working long hours to provide a good home and support for our children. We feel let down now at a time we should enjoying life after years of hard work and contributing to our country.
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i also started work at the age of 15 being born in 1955, have always worked with over 46 years worth of stamps. had to give up work in 2016 to look after an elderly mother (90) years old. I do claim careres allowance, and am using my savings to pay the bills, but what will happen when these run out.
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Yes I am born 1954 and an ardent campaigner
I will never give up.
Absolutely need to plough on.
Well done everyone!👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
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