A WASPI campaigner has spoken of her disappointment that women affected by the issue could get payouts of just under £3,000.

A new report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman looking into the WASPI (Women against state pension inequality) complaint has recommended individuals get payouts of between £1,000 and £2,950.

The recommendations are not binding on the DWP or the Government, with the Ombudsman urging Parliament to take up the issue.

Frances Neil, South East Essex Co-coordinator for WASPI, told Express.co.uk: “We were disappointed that those figures were so low.

“We understand all the arguments about the public purse, the cost of living. There are so many calls on the Government.

“But when you juxtapose the amounts we’ve lost, it does seem unfair.

“I think the official feeling is we now wait for Parliament to do its work and we keep lobbying for what we want.”

Ms Neil, now aged 70, had to put on hold her plans to retire as a head teacher when she realised she couldn’t retire at 60.

She said: “It’s a bittersweet report. We are absolutely thrilled that our complaint over seven and eight years of campaigning has been vindicated, and that what we said happened to us has happened to us.

“That’s a real positive and that’s given us a real fortitude to continue to be present in this campaign.

“We are going to carry on and hope that Parliament will see fit to compensate us at a level that does have some reflection of the losses that we’ve suffered.

“Some of us have suffered many thousands of pounds in losses, from tens to fifties of thousands of pounds.

“It is quite a shame to be looking at figures of that ilk in the report.”

A DWP spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “We will consider the Ombudsman’s report and respond in due course, having cooperated fully throughout this investigation.

“The Government has always been committed to supporting all pensioners in a sustainable way that gives them a dignified retirement whilst also being fair to them and taxpayers.

“The state pension is the foundation of income in retirement and will remain so as we deliver a further 8.5 percent rise in April which will increase the state pension for 12 million pensioners by £900.”

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