Hull City Council’s stance on Waspi compensation was highlighted in Parliament, questioning government’s position after local vote and ombudsman report.
The Labour Party at Hull City Council supports compensating Waspi women; they voted against the government’s call. The group Waspi fights for women’s pension rights. These women were born in the 1950s. The 1995 Pensions Act changed the state pension age, increasing it for women to 65. This matched the men’s pension age then.
Liz Kendall, Work and Pensions Secretary, said Waspi women won’t get compensation. Despite this, the ombudsman said they were “owed,” which applies to women born between 1950 and 1960. Nearly 14,000 Hull women will not be compensated, potentially totaling up to £40 million.
Keir Starmer says compensation is unaffordable, stating that taxpayers cannot bear such a heavy cost. Steven Darling, a Liberal Democrat MP, raised the council vote in Parliament. Darling asked if the vote made the minister reconsider, and he consulted Torsten Bell about the situation.
Bell said he understood the concern and considered the ombudsman’s report carefully. He thinks compensation costing billions isn’t fair and noted most knew about the rising pension age, suggesting earlier letters would not have changed much.
