Fury as Tory County Councillors vote down motion on pension fairness

Campaigners and Liberal Democrat Councillors have reacted with fury after Conservative County Councillors voted down a motion supporting the WASPI women's pension campaign.

WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) support women born in the 1950s who saw their retirement ages changed without adequate notice which meant many women did not have the time to prepare adequately for retirement. The campaign asks for transitional support for the women affected.

138 councils have so far backed a motion supporting the WASPI women's campaign. The Councils supporting the motion include Leicester City, Oadby and Wigston and Rutland County Council.

A motion asking Leicestershire County Council to also back the WASPI campaign was put forward by Liberal Democrat Councillors Linda Broadley and Michael Mullaney at Wednesday's County Council meeting. The WASPI motion got the support of all Liberal Democrat and Labour County Councillors, but was voted down by Conservative County Councillors.

Reacting to her motion being voted down Wigston Lib Dem County Councillor Linda Broadley said "I was shocked by the Conservative Councillors behaviour in voting down the motion. At Oadby and Wigston Council all parties supported the WASPI women. I would have thought that party politics could have been put aside at the County Council too in order to help the WASPI women. The Conservatives have let these women down."

Hinckley Lib Dem County Councillor Michael Mullaney who seconded the motion said "Tens of thousands of Leicestershire women born in the 1950s suddenly found their retirement age changed at short notice. This completely threw in the air many of their retirement plans and has left a lot of local women in their 60s facing hardship. I hoped that Leicestershire County Council would have joined the other 138 councils who have backed the WASPI campaign. I'm very angry that Conservative County Councillors voted it down. The thousands of local women affected by these pension changes deserved better."