Hundreds of local women will lose out as a result of the latest pension reforms, according to North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz.
House of Commons Library research has revealed the true cost of last week’s pension reforms to 500 women in Edinburgh North and Leith and 2,900 women in Edinburgh as a whole who are set to lose out. Five hundred local women born in 1952 and 1953 will not be eligible for the single tier pension since they are due to retire in 2017, before the state pension reforms come into effect. Men born during the same period, however, will qualify.
The news comes after the Government claimed that “we have to be absolutely transparent [about who will lose]” yet it has failed to make clear the full consequences of the planned reforms.
The unravelling of this latest pension announcement is the second time this government has been caught trying to hide the full impact of its changes for pensioners following the Granny Tax, according to Mr Lazarowicz.
He added: “Ministers have been caught red-handed hiding the truth on pension reforms. This government’s pension changes have hit hardworking women in Edinburgh time and again and these reforms are no different. 500 women will be nearly £2,000 worse off compared to men, but instead of being honest with the women that will lose out this government tried to bury the truth. Once again Ministers have been caught with their hands in pensioners’ pockets – it’s about time this government had the decency to be honest about who will lose out under their plans.”