Exclusive on Byline Times: Ministry secretly knew 50s born women were widely ignorant of big rise in pension age – judicial review hearing told

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Internal Whitehall documents released yesterday reveal that the Department of Work and Pensions  secretly knew on six separate occasions that there was “ widespread ignorance “ among 3.8 million women born in the 1950s that they were about to lose their pensions for up to six years.

 The disclosure by Michael Mansfield, QC came on the first day of a landmark judicial review brought by the campaigning group Back to 60 into the raising of the pension age from 60 to 66 which has left  this group of women living in poverty after they had relied on the money for their retirement.

The full story is on BylineTimes here.

52 thoughts on “Exclusive on Byline Times: Ministry secretly knew 50s born women were widely ignorant of big rise in pension age – judicial review hearing told”

    • I got a letter in 2012 but it was to say that my retirement age was now 66 – I never had any letters previously! I stopped full time work in 2006 so that I could look after my grandchildren and my late husbands father but still did sufficient hours to cover my NI contributions.
      My husband died in 2014 at the age of 60 so before he took his state pension and because of changes to the widows pension I only got bereavement allowance for 12 months. I had to sell the house to get by but knew I would be able to claim working tax credit this year when I hit 60. Guess what – universal credit has been rolled out so I can’t claim tax credit as I have capital from the sale of the house I cannot have any support. I now look after my elderly parents as well so no chance of increasing my hours at work and because I work more than 16 hours I cannot claim carers allowance. I would never do it but if I walked away from my responsibilities then the state would have to step in and pay. Just give me the pension I was expecting now.

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      • This is what really annoys me about the State Pension, you pay into it for many years and you receive it for 6 months and you die, my sister has seen the death of four of her friends who worked all their lives, their husbands been dead or the women were divorced. Between the four of them their collective total pension span was 13 years. Surely, provision could be made for the state to cover at least funeral costs as would be the case in many private schemes, In one case the deceased did not have the money to bury them, yet she had paid into a cradle to the grave welfare state that would not release a fraction of what she had contributed.

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      • My husband died before receiving his State Pension at 62 but I have been led to believe that I am entitled to a share of his pension, based on his contributions. Call DWP and find out if you can claim. Again it is something you have to find out yourself as they will not volunteer this information.

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  4. Well the fact the DWP knew 1950s women were unaware of the changes in pension is no shock to the women born in the 1950’s, if their is any justice in this world this has to be put right. Only the women going through this scandal and the super stars that are working so hard to over rule this gross injustice know how we are suffering. I have just read the £271 billion rape of the National insurance fund below, that has deprived the 1950s women of their pension. An utter disgrace….criminal to make the 50s women pay for their inability to manage the billions that has been paid in.

    Dee

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    • Hi Dee
      Another Dee here .Ex NHS nurse then Manager since 1975.
      When I read this it brought back bitter memories of how my senior managers ransacked my budget to upgrade themselves illegally before agenda for change looked at all NHS jobs.
      I then found this out and when they arrived onto the Agenda for change panels which I worked on they were downgraded.
      I was then bullied for highlighting this.
      If we did this we would be sacked. It is theft with no explanation as to why this £271 million was needed.
      Now we know this has happened can we ask what it was used for and why?
      Now after paying into a pension &or over 35 years I am expected to say ok I’ll wait for dishonest politicians requiring us to pay our due but not doing the sameThank you sir for taking

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    • Thank you sir for having the courage to represent this cause and seek to bring justice.
      Can we now require this current government to take forward Mrs Thatcher’s undertaking to protect our rights?
      You will be able to sleep at nights but will the various millionaires dotted throughout government feel able to knowing that their own internal papers highlight their wrong doing.
      A higher power than ourselves presides over our world of which men and women who abuse truth and right dare not test.

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  6. I want every penny that is due to me,worked since 15 and was depending on that savings,I have osteoporosis and arthritis,I am in pain and deserve to have my hard working contribution now.

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    • Looking forward to a refund of my hard earnt money from when I was 14 working & paying into my NI contributions , I was 60 last year & expected to get paid out my pension This is a criminal outrage by the DWP . If it was Phillip Green , they would be behind bars by now !

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    • We have been deprived of our best and fittest retirement years.It’s all downhill from here.They should be made to pay,and pay well😡

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  8. My husband has multiple sclerosis. He was ill health retired at 48. He is now 64 years of age and totally dependant on me. I had to give up my job at 51 years of age as he can’t even feed himself. I am now 61 and for the last 10 years all I get is a carers allowance of £61 approx per week. I now have to wait till I am 66 to get my pension!!!!!! So angry . How much would it cost to provide care to my husband if I had to continue working. I am so angry

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    • Chris,
      I am saddened to hear your tale. I am not surprised you are angry as you are facing a long wait for a pension and support for carers is pretty abysmal as well. Let’s hope something will be done

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      • Thank you David for your updates. But I am so at my wits end with everything in this country. 50 week wait to see a neurologist as well for my husband who is deteriorating rapidly.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Carers’ allowance is a pittance, I agree. I think it should be increased, to at least the same as JSA £73. There will be people,who had to give up work at an even younger age than you did, those in their 30s and 40s who could be stuck on it for decades, it’s not right.

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    • Your care would have and will cost thousands. TV documentary on BBC last 2 nights shows how much care system is depending on relatives saving Gov thousands. Its broken and it is no mistake. Soo wrong.

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    • I’m almost 63 now and my husband also has MS and 2 types of dementia. I’m so tired of watching my life go down the drain, poverty only adds to this, it’s the feeling of being doomed because you are worthless. In other words we don’t count because the financial services sector have too much to lose. We are expendables in this miserable game played by the elite. I’m much more elite than any of them. Poor and worthless female that I am. That was a joke by the way.

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  9. Please throw everything at the Government (past and present) all the ‘underhanded’ things that have been done to withhold our pensions for up to six years!

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  10. This is typical of the government they do lots of things behind closed doors. Now we have to suffer, the woman of the 50’s should all be given compensation, and the government should find the money, it was because of them, and that compensation should be done immediately, no waiting just pay up for the mess you have done.

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  13. Thank you for the update on yesterdays proceedings David. This is being kept very quiet in the media. Huge thanks to the legal team. Im one of the ladies born in the 50s and certainly never received any communication regarding rise in pension age, I only found out when I was 59 and due to retire (or so I thought) this is an absolute disgrace. I do hope we have a positive outcome for all of us.

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  14. Hello David Thank you SO VERY MUCH for your blogs, and especially your coverage of the Judicial Review.  Have spent most of my working life in Courts, and many a time in the High Court, so your reporting on what is happening is very important and special to read and analyse. 

    Utterly staggering that the DWP left a paper trail of their failure to act on lack of communications.  Staggering. Looking forward to reading your blog of Day Two.  I recall James Eadie representing government in the Supreme Court case over Brexit, and watching him blush in places, so much did he not believe in what is was having to say. 

    Thank you again, David. Moya JankoCornwall.

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  16. Thank you all for taking this case on, I never got a letter re this until 3 years before my 60th which never gave me enough time to save. I know like a lot of people have to watch every penny no holidays and as I have a bad knee and back, struggle to earn money cleaning. And yes I am one of those who now have gone from 60 to 66 at least I am luckier than some as have a small army pension that paid out at 60. But I have worked since I was 16 so have paid in for 47 years how many people now will be doing that???

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    • Totally agree with you,I left my job at 55 because it was very physical and working nights for 16yrs,1yr before 60 I had a letter ,what the hell do they expect you to do ,I’m lucky I have a partner, otherwise god knows where I’d be,most probably on the streets.😡

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  18. Thank you David Hencke. Looking forward to your blog on day 2 when the DWP puts forward its case. I hope Mansfield & co are allowed to interrupt & challenge, because I’m sure there will be a lot of inaccuracies. Do you know of any judicial reviews which have taken place which have found against the Government, which the Government then chose to ignore?
    Let’s hope 1950s women, remember all of this at the next General election. I’ve already seen quite a few comments from 1950s women who look like they will vote for the Brexit Party despite Anne Widdicombes involvement in this appalling injustice & despite her utter disdain for 1950s women – calling us self indulgent etc

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  19. I like so many would like to know what happened to our money that was not paid to us. And what what right did the Government have to keep it.

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  20. Disgusting the DWP and the Tory +Lib Dem, coalition are the sneaky conniving b_____ds who robbed us women if our retirements and a lot of women’s lives 😠😠😠😠😠

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  23. I lived at my address up to last year for 27 years never got a letter I didn’t know until I said to someone 6 months before my 60th birthday I was going part time when I get my pension as I still had a mortgage to pay and pension wasn’t enough to live on ,she told me I wont be getting it because they have increased the pension age to 66,what a shocker.. then my work place closed down last may,I have had to sell my home which was highly remortgaged just to live so what was left I had to live on,now just signed on the sick through stress,great government when I have worked all my life…

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  25. Thank you for all you are doing
    The only notification I had was when they hit us with the double whammy changing it from the sliding scale to 66 But nothing official when it was put on the sliding scale at all
    I like many others started work at 15 and am not in the best health diabetes arthritis and now on my own and having been off sick am now struggling to keep my job

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  26. I am 1950’s woman am65 this year I never received any letter about changes to pension age have lived at this address for 40yrs. I found out about change to state pension age for women myself as I worked for a outsource company that did dwp work. Thank you for all that you are doing and fighting our corner.

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  27. I was present outside the courts yesterday. After a lifetime of working and never drawing benefits, I have been now reduced to what can be described as a “degrading and humiliating existence” visiting food banks and living on cheap noodles, porridge and biscuits for the past couple of years. I feel like at times, part of “the residuum of society”. Mentally and physically it’s been a real struggle living on JSA and “zero hour contracts”. I’m about to receive my pension next week at 65 yrs and 5 months. I still want to fight on, to ensure that this injustice is hilighted and won, for so many women who have struggled in the past and those who continue to do so. Although I live alone, I know at times if it hadn’t been for members of my family, I wouldn’t be here now.
    Some of us have been on the brink of survival, and I do not overstate that. Thank you for your continued articles, which have proved to be very revelatory.

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  28. I was beyond anger when I read of the governments response to the court yesterday .

    Having calmed down, I now recognise what a weak and telling situation they find themselves in.The points they presented hold no value or weight.

    I have great faith that David and his expert team will find a way forward and continue to fight for what is right.

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  29. Am I the only woman who wakes up every single day depressed because of losing their pension rights. For me it’s the final humiliation. Never seemingly having basic rights because born with the wrong piece of equipment in the fifties. Good for looking after everyone from the cradle to the grave free of charge. Only lost £24,000 in 3 years. Its not much much if you say it quickly. It cannot be underestimated how much that money stolen would change most unempowered women’s lives.

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  30. Just heard on BBC news that our useless government has spent £97 million pounds on Brexit which has not happened instead of £65 million. How much is that shared out between the robbed 1950’s Women? Don’t tell they have not got the money for us, they have, they’ve stolen it. The government toadies (bbc) did not report the arguments presented in court yesterday because the younger people in our country might realise they are being robbed too.!!!

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  32. I have had the same National Insurance number all of my working life and not once have I been told that I would have to work until I’m 66 . DWP should be ashamed I still have not been notified.

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  33. Subsequent governments have moved the goalposts. All very quick to establish a principle of equality where it saves them money; less so where it costs them. This generation of women (and other generations) still provide most of the care for children, grandchildren and elderly parents. They cannot do this and establish meaningful workplace pensions at the same time. The government wants them to be both carers and workers. This policy will mean many will have to work until they drop or face poverty.

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  34. I have lived in my home for 42 years and have had no Notification whatsoever. I have just been made redundant a little over a week ago.
    Had I been given notice I could have been a little more prepared.
    Please tell me what am I supposed to do know.
    If I had my rightful Pension that I have paid into for 48 years never claiming a penny from anywhere I would not be in this awful position.

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  37. When will we hear the outcome of the Judicial review?
    How will we hear the result?
    I check everyday to see if there is any fresh news
    Waiting patiently ..

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