Lewes District Council Backs Compensation for WASPI Women Following Liberal Democrat-Led Motion

Lewes District Council has voted in favour of supporting the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, following a Liberal Democrat-led motion calling on the Government to urgently provide compensation to women born in the 1950s who have been affected by changes to the state pension age. The motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat Councillor Christine Brett and seconded by Independent Councillor Imogen Makepeace, passed with cross-party support.

The WASPI campaign highlights the injustices faced by hundreds of thousands of women across the country who were subjected to significant pension changes imposed by the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011. Many women were given little or no personal notice of the rise in their state pension age, with some receiving only two years’ notice of a six-year increase. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has already ruled that there was maladministration in the way these changes were implemented and that the affected women should be compensated.

The Liberal Democrats have consistently supported compensation for WASPI women as recommended by the Ombudsman. Local Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary and party leader Ed Davey have both called for the Government to provide proper compensation without delay.

The motion passed by the Council calls on the Government to reconsider its decision not to provide compensation and to set up a compensation scheme without delay. It also asks the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions urging immediate action and to notify local MPs of the Council’s strong support for the WASPI women.

Lewes District Council’s backing adds to the growing pressure on the Government to address this injustice and provide long-overdue compensation to the women affected.

Local WASPI campaigner Janet Blackman said: "Lewes WASPI Group members are very grateful for the support from Lewes District Council for 1950s-born women.  We are pleased that the council has acknowledged the injustice caused by the Department for Work and Pensions' maladministration, found by the Ombudsman following a 6 year investigation. It would be unprecedented and unacceptable for the Government to ignore the recommendations of its own watchdog'.

Councillor Christine Brett, who represents Seaford South, said: "The women affected by these changes have worked hard, raised families, and paid their taxes and national insurance with the expectation of financial security when they reached 60. Instead, they were blindsided by sudden changes that left many of them facing real hardship. It’s not about disputing equalisation of pension ages — it’s about the lack of notice and the devastating impact this has had on women’s lives. I’m proud that Lewes District Council backed our motion to stand up for them and are calling on the Government to do the right thing."