POUNDSTOCK lady, Yvonne Cawson, has blasted the government’s decision to raise the state pension age for women from 60 to 66.

For many years, the state pension age for men was 65 and for women 60.

From 2020, both men and women’s state pension age will be 66, increasing to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and then linked to life expectancy after that.

An increase to 65, phased in between 2010 and 2020 was included in the Pensions Act 1995, but in 2011 the coalition government pushed through a speeding up of the latter part of the timetable.

A one-year difference in age can result in a three-and-a-half year difference in state pension age, something that has been blasted by women up and down the country.

Yvonne, 63, has worked for the last 45 years and was looking forward to retiring at 60 when she was told five years ago that she must work for a further six years to receive her pension.

Yvonne said that the lack of notice from the government was appalling, adding: “The main problem I have is that there was no notification received from the government and they accelerated the process. All of my plans I’d made had to go to pot. As well as that, the job I have is very hard physical work so I didn’t want to have to carry on for an extra six years.

“The government has let us all down, we agree that the pension age should be the same for both sexes, but it’s totally underhanded the way they’ve done it, it only affects a small number of number of women — about 30,000.

“What would the reaction have been if today all men suddenly discovered that they all had to work for an extra six years with hardly any warning.

“This is why we are fighting for justice — they are moving the goalposts with little notice, introducing change without communication and the total unfairness of an accelerated age rise.”

Yvonne believes that the government could have done a sliding scale or compensated those affected.

Thousands of women have sent letters to local MPs in the hope that the government will listen.

Yvonne is also frustrated about the age increase and the impact it’ll have on her family and work life.

She said: “My daughter has a six-week old baby and I would have been expecting to look after her. She has a pretty well paid job but when she goes back they can’t really afford childcare. It’s a nightmare. Also as a woman running my own business and a home I expected to be able to have some time for myself when I reached 60, this will not happen.

“I expected to be able to trust the government to fulfil their obligations. I have many friends who have retired at 60, they enjoy their life. I have to continue working at a business and managing a house and this is not fair.

“Grandmothers are not now able to look after their grandchildren without pay, parents cannot afford to return to work due to the huge cost of childcare, more pressure on social services and benefits and we miss out on over £36,000 which we expected to be paid in pension.

“It is a disgrace and the government must revisit this decision and work out a fairer way to treat women, especially those born in the fifties.”

- Will you be affected by the changes? Email [email protected] to have your say.