Barbara has become the chair of a newly-launched cross-party Parliamentary group which aims to support women born in the 1950s who have been badly affected by increases to the State Pension Age.

In 2011 the Conservative-led Government accelerated planned changes to the State Pension Age for women, increasing it for a second time for women who were born after 6th April 1950. Some of the women affected have seen their pension age increase from 60 to 66 years. Many of the women affected received either no notification of the change or very late notification. This left little time to put alternative plans in place causing the women uncertainty, worry and financial hardship.

Figures from the House of Commons Library show that around 8,000 women in Salford, 98,000 in Greater Manchester and 284,000 in the North West region will be affected by the changes in State Pension Age.

The new All-Party Parliamentary Group for WASPI has been set up to support the Women Against State Pension Age Inequality (WASPI) campaign which works on these issues. The Parliamentary Group aims to raise the profile of the issues that women affected are now experiencing as a result of the changes in State Pension Age. MPs will use the Group as a forum to hold the Government to account on these issues, and to offer support for the WASPI campaign.

Barbara said:

“Thousands of women born in the 1950s have been treated very badly with these changes. The women affected are being forced to bear the burden of the increase to State Pension Age without any help or support from the Government.”

“A number of constituents affected in Worsley and Eccles South have told me that the Government’s failure to communicate the changes, provide adequate notice or offer any transitional support has led to them suffering real financial hardship.”

“There is now widespread support among MPs for measures to help the 1950s-born women to secure justice. On the first day, over 120 MPs from all parties joined the new All-Party Parliamentary Group for WASPI. We aim to hold the government to account and find the best outcome we can for the women affected by these major changes to the State Pension Age.”

“I will work with MPs from all parties so that we can find a way to help the 1950s-born women get the support they deserve.”