Harrow Council called on the Government to help women affected by pension inequality.

It passed a motion at last week’s full council meeting asking for women born on or after April 6, 1950, who are affected by changes to pension equality laws, to benefit from appropriate “transitional arrangements”.

These changes, which brought the state pension age for women in line with men at 65, meant thousands of 1950s women were given little or no time to take stock.

The issue has been the subject of a national Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign.

Cllr Natasha Proctor, who brought the motion, explained the impact this has had on such women in Harrow.

“Women with retirement plans have seen them destroyed,” she said.

“Some are being forced to take jobs which are inappropriate to their health. Others are having to rely on their savings to get to the new state pension age.

“Those who are relying on their partners have lost their independence, and some who are widowed have no other form of income.”

The proposal was unanimously backed, with Conservative councillors pointing out that the issue “goes beyond politics”.

Cllr Norman Stevenson quoted MP Mhairi Black who, in a Westminster debate earlier this month, said “we cannot forget” the WASPI women who are “our aunties, our mothers and our grandmothers”.

“This is an issue of fairness and it has nothing to do with politics,” he said.

“Of course, age equality had to happen, but this has only affected women and it’s only affected a specific number of women.”

He added that he hopes to see them receive “some sort of settlement” in the near future.