One MP called the latest figures a 'tragedy' and urged the Government to address the issue
State Pension delays are forcing millions of WASPI women into debt, according to campaigners, as the Department for Work and Pensions faces a new call over backpay.
Women affected by changes to the State Pension age faced a delay of up to six years to get their Government retirement income. In July 2021, the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman found the DWP had "failed to communicate with the women affected with enough urgency" - but, 18 months after that ruling, they are still waiting for compensation to be paid out for the missing pension years, adding a second layer of financial delay, BirminghamLive reports.
The survey indicated that almost a third of WASPI women are in debt, with 30 per cent saying they would use any compensation money to pay off debts. More than half said they had been forced to tightly control expenditure on essentials like food and heating for at least a year since making the discovery, while 37 percent reported feeling financial strain "all the time, ever since."
"This is a tragedy and particularly frightening given the challenging economic circumstances we are all facing. It is so important that the current Government begins to take the plight of pensioners seriously, in deed rather than word. The least it can do is deliver justice to those WASPI women who continue to suffer financial hardship from the failure of the DWP to tell them about changes to their State Pension age.
John Palmer, Director of Policy and Communications at Independent Age, said: "As the cost of living crisis continues to make life harder, many older people are being forced to make impossible decisions to stay afloat. People tell us they are cutting back on their heating, eating less food, no longer socialising, and some have taken on debt.
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