The Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign has managed to raised £75,000 towards its legal fees in just six days.
Campaigners are crowdfunding in preparation for a legal challenge to the government’s changes to women’s state pension age.
The Waspi campaigners have raised nearly £77,000, with 24 days of their crowdfunding campaign still remaining.
Pat Tarttelin, a member of the Waspi interim management group, said: “Raising £75,000 in just under a week has been a fantastic achievement.
“We never imagined people would step up so quickly to support our cause.
“It’s a clear signal that the time has come for the government to recognise this injustice and realise Waspi means business.”
Waspi co-founder Anne Keen said the group is investigating whether a membership structure could be introduced to help organise the legal challenge.
The campaigners have appointed London law firm Bindmans LLP to fight for “recognition and recompense”.
Launched in 2015, the Waspi campaign seeks compensation for what it views as unjust treatment of women born in the 1950s, resulting from changes to equalise the state pension age between men and women.
The changes were made in two acts of parliament, the first in 1995, the second in 2011.
The 1995 legislation pushed the pension age up, in cohorts, from 60 to 65. Women born in 1951 would receive the pension at 61, women born in 52 would receive it at 62, and so on, ending at age 65. This brought women’s pension age in line with that of men.
But the 2011 Act pushed the date for women born in 1954 back further, some by as much as 18 months.
While the Waspi campaign claims the changes were made “with little or no personal notice” with respect to both acts and “faster than promised” with respect to the 2011 Act, which gave them “no time to make alternative plans”.
But the government has said it has already taken action to introduce transition arrangements at a cost of £1bn.
Pensions minister Richard Harrington has said no woman will have her state pension age delayed by more than 18 months and those who need assistance can rely on the benefit system.
