COTSWOLD District Council (CDC) has promised to urge MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown to raise the issue of transitional state pension arrangements for women born after 1951 in Parliament.

The decision was made at cabinet meeting of the Conservative-led council on Thursday, following a motion put forward at a full council meeting on June 13 to apply pressure on the government to resolve the issue.

Maud Lomberg, a leading member of the Gloucestershire and Cotswolds Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) branch was present at the meeting.

The changing of the pension age for women from 60 to 66, to be put in place in October 2020, was done with little to no notice by the government, according WASPI, with protests aiming to bring about a ‘transitional payment’ to women born after April 6, 1951 to help bridge the gap until state pension age.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Jenny Forde had put the motion forward at the full council meeting.

Speaking on June 13, she said: “We agree with the equalisation of the state pension age but we do not support the unfair manner in which these changes were made in the 2011 Pensions Act.

“Around 2.6 million women were affected by the accelerated pace and many will receive their pension years later than expected.

“Furthermore, due to the shambolic handling of the notification process, these women have not been given a reasonable period of time to properly prepare for retirement.

“The government must take notice of this gross injustice.

“I’m sure this council will agree that it’s unreasonable to suddenly expect these women to live with it.

“They have paid in all their lives expecting pensions.

“We need to take this chance to act and show the WASPI women of the Cotswolds that united we serve them and collectively we hear them,” she added.

Fellow Lib Dem Cllr Tatyan Cheung, speaking on Thursday, suggested CDC write a letter to Mr Clifton-Brown, which was unanimously agreed by cabinet members.

Cllr Cheung went on to say: “I think this council could do something positive by offering these women something in the future if this issue doesn't get resolved by the government by April 2018 when the next financial year ends.

“This council could maybe give these women a council tax discount. Something like 10 or 20 per cent council tax discount.”

Cllr Mark Annett, leader of CDC, said: “"I do agree with you on the principle of the thing. I am not sure at this stage that we can agree council tax reductions.

“I think we should do this in stages.

“Can we write to Clifton-Brown, see what response he gets from government, then come back and talk again?”

It is estimated there are 6,354 women in the Cotswold District who will be affected by the changes to pensions.

Pensions Minister Guy Opperman received much backlash after saying the government would not offer concessions and instead suggested that older people could retrain, go back to work or take up an apprenticeship at a meeting in Westminster Hall on Wednesday.