The WASPI campaign has issued a crucial update concerning the future of its public fundraiser, which has amassed over a quarter of a million pounds for a landmark legal battle against the Department for Work and Pensions.
Legal Battle Proceeds Despite DWP U-Turn
In a significant development, the DWP has announced it is withdrawing its previous decision not to provide payouts to women affected by state pension age changes. This reversal comes in light of new evidence, specifically a 2007 DWP report on the effectiveness of pension forecast letters. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden stated the government will now retake the decision made last December to ensure fairness and transparency.
Despite this, the judicial review brought by the WASPI campaign is still scheduled to proceed at the High Court on December 9 and 10. The campaigners are urging top judges to overturn the government's original stance against compensation.
How the £252,000 Fundraiser is Being Spent
The public fundraiser, a cornerstone of the campaign's legal strategy, has seen tremendous support. To date, over 15,000 people have contributed, raising more than £252,000 to cover WASPI's legal costs.
Angela Madden, chair of WASPI, provided a detailed breakdown of the fund's allocation. "Most of it has been used, because we've had the lawyers working on it, we've prepared all the case documents," she explained. "The two days in court have a cost, but it's not a massive cost compared to all the time the lawyers have spent so far."
A critical element securing the campaign's position is a costs capping order for the judicial review. This order limits the financial liability for the losing side, protecting WASPI from potentially ruinous legal fees. Ms. Madden emphasised that without this order, they may have been forced to abandon their claim, unable to risk covering the DWP's costs if they lost.
The Core of the WASPI Dispute
The WASPI campaign represents women born in the 1950s who were impacted by the increase in the state pension age from 60 to 65, and later to 66. The central argument is that the DWP failed to adequately inform these women of the change, with many discovering the alteration to their retirement plans devastatingly late.
This claim was bolstered by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which investigated the issue and concluded that the DWP had indeed made key mistakes. The Ombudsman recommended that the women should receive compensation, suggesting payouts ranging from £1,000 to £2,950.
The government's initial refusal to act on these recommendations is what led to the current legal challenge, a fight that continues to draw significant public and financial support as it heads towards its December court date.
