WOMEN from Ceredigion attended the first general meeting of the local Women Against State Pension Injustice (WASPI) Campaign since lockdown on 29 April.

The meeting was addressed by Ceredigion MP Ben Lake and Pamela Judge, Ceredigion WASPI Campaign joint co-ordinator and member of WASPI’s national Steering Group.

The Ceredigion group said they were eager to hear news about their claim for compensation for the lack of notice they had that their state pensions had been delayed by six years.

Mr Lake said: “I am in awe of the WASPI members in Ceredigion.

“Their persistence and effectiveness in ensuring that the campaign remains one of the top issues in Parliament is commendable.

“I am proud to offer my full continued support to the cause.”

Ms Judge said: “It’s been a long campaign and it’s not over yet.

“We are definitely making progress.

“Five years ago hundreds of women in Ceredigion registered formal complaints that they had not had enough notice that their state pension age had been changed.

“The Ombudsman ruled in 2021 that this delay was maladministration.

“This was a good start but sadly things began to go downhill.

“A second report about whether we had suffered injustice and might be due compensation was issued last summer.

“Thanks to legal action taken by our colleagues in the Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign and supported by us, this report has been deemed legally flawed.

“The Ombudsman has agreed to look at it again without the need to go to court.

“Let’s hope he gets it right this time.

“Once a final report has been issued which is legally correct its recommendations will be passed to Parliament. Usually the Government accepts recommendations from the Ombudsman but we will have to wait and see what happens in our case.”