A DECISION which could impact pension arrangements for thousands of women in Furness is to be announced imminently.

Next Tuesday (September 15), the wait will be over for thousands of women across Furness who were born in the 1950s, as they look ahead to the outcome of a court case they hope will bring them ‘pension justice’.

Impacted women lost thousands of pounds of state-pension money when the Cameron-Clegg coalition government suddenly accelerated the timetable for a scheduled increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65, leaving thousands shortchanged.

It is thought the upcoming court decision will affect some 4,000 women in Barrow alone - and potentially millions across the country.

On July 21 and 22, a virtual Court of Appeal hearing took place on behalf of the ‘Back to 60’ Campaign after the High Court denied their case last October.

Michael Mansfield QC and his team argued that 1950s women were discriminated against on the grounds of age and sex when their state pension age was changed from 60 to 66.

Lack of adequate notice of the changes had left many women in a desperate situation.

Commenting ahead of the court’s decision, Catherine Williams, joint co-ordinator of Barrow & District Women Against State Pension Injustice (WASPI), said: “After years of campaigning we are awaiting this judgement with baited breath to see if we will finally get justice.

“1950s women have been denied several years of the state pensions they paid into throughout our working lives. Many are in dire financial straits or have to carry on in jobs they are no longer physically fit to do.

“If they had the pensions they had relied on they could retire and free up jobs for younger people.

“This decision could make a massive difference to the lives of so many people.”

Approximately 3.8 million women say they were not provided with adequate notice to prepare for an increase in their state pension age.

As a result, millions of women nationwide argue they have been adversely affected by the changes.

Labour promised to compensate WASPI women across the country at the December general election.

However, the Conservative government has no such plans to address the group's demands in the short term.

The verdict in the case - referred to as Delve and another v The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - will be posted on the Courts and Tribunals website next week, once the ruling has been handed down: https://www.judiciary.uk/.

The decision will be posted after 10.30 am on Tuesday, September 15.