WASPI CALL TO ACTION: COVID-19 HEALTH EMERGENCY
TEXT OF LETTER SENT TO MPs FROM SOLENT WASPI SUPPORTERS’ GROUP
22nd April 2020
“You will by now have received an email from the WASPI Campaign calling for action for
WASPI women. As I represent women born in the 1950s in your constituency, I thought I
would give you some background as to why we are making this urgent plea.
We have received emails/responses from WASPI women who have been very badly
affected by the Covid-19 emergency. Women are telling us that they are affected in several
ways:
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Their shopping habits have had to change. They can no longer pick up the
cheapest items at several outlets (e.g. cleaning materials in Wilco’s) or pop
down to the supermarket at the end of the day to buy the short-dated items that
have been marked down
Prices in the food stores are beginning to creep up. Also, some cheaper items e.g. tinned tomatoes used to make cheap, nutritious meals - are now rationed.
Their work has dried up. Some do casual work (e.g. exam invigilation) which is
no longer available. Some work as cleaners in people’s homes. They are not
able to continue as their employers are now at home all the time. Some worked
in tourism on a casual/seasonal basis; again, these opportunities are now
closed.
People are having to spend more to heat their homes, as the free places they
used to frequent are now closed (libraries, museums etc.)
Many are responsible for the care of elderly, vulnerable relatives, and have had
to stop working to reduce the risk of bringing the virus home
Others supplemented their income by providing services like exercise classes,
or home teaching support, which has now dried up. They fall through the net of
being self-employed as they had not been doing it long enough to qualify under
the present scheme.

It feels as though WASPI women working in the gig economy (temporary, part time, zero
hours, no paid holidays, often casual or short term) fall through all the Government support
proposals currently on offer.
Women are also telling us that if they have a small income, they are not eligible for Universal
Credit.
To verify, I used one of the benefits calculators recommended by the Government to
calculate what benefits a woman could receive. As an example, she lives alone, in her own
bungalow, Council tax band B, with no outstanding mortgage, receiving an occupational
pension of £400 per month and with savings of £5,000. If she were born in June 1954, she
would be entitled to pension credit of £352.92 per month plus Council tax support of £89.42.
If she were born in June 1956, she would only be entitled to Council Tax support of £82.62.
Can you imagine having to live on £400 per month, with no prospect of supplementing your
income in any way because we must follow the guidelines to keep ourselves and others
safe? These women are desperate; they need help now.
That is why we are calling for:

 - early access to Pension Credit for all WASPI women. This will give immediate relief to
those who are desperate and cannot afford the basics required to live during this
emergency.
- early access to State Pension for those due to reach State Pension age in this financial
year. This will give those women who usually go out to work an income. It will cover all
women, even those on zero hours contracts or short-term casual work. It will take them out
of the many unemployed people that the Government needs to help in other ways. This
measure will also prepare these women so that they are able to contribute to the economic
recovery through spending, rather than being impoverished with no disposable income.
You may have already heard from some of your constituents, and we do advise them to
keep you informed.
I very much hope you will be able to support this urgent call.”
Shelagh Simmons
Coordinator
Solent WASPI Supporters’ Group
Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester, South Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

SENT TO:
Suella Braverman MP
Steve Brine MP
Caroline Dinenage MP
Flick Drummond MP
Paul Holmes MP
Dr Julian Lewis MP
Alan Mak MP
Penny Mordaunt MP
Stephen Morgan MP
Caroline Nokes MP
Bob Seely MP
Royston Smith MP
Sir Desmond Swayne MP
Alan Whitehead MP

Fareham
Winchester
Gosport
Meon Valley
Eastleigh
New Forest East
Havant
Portsmouth North
Portsmouth South
Romsey & Southampton North
Isle of Wight
Southampton Itchen
New Forest West
Southampton Test