THOUSANDS of women fighting for compensation after devastating changes to state pensions are set to protest at Westminster.

Women from across south Essex, who are part of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group, are gearing up to make their voices heard in Parliament Square during the Chancellor's Budget on Wednesday.

Born in the 1950s, the group of women say successive governments failed to properly inform them of increases to their state pension age and are calling for fair and fast compensation as a result.

South Essex Waspi co-coordinator, Frances Neil, said: "Thousands of women in Essex had their retirement plans thrown into chaos after successive governments failed to properly inform them of increases to their State Pension age.

"The Parliamentary Ombudsman delivered clear recommendations more than six months ago, calling on ministers to fairly compensate those affected as soon as possible." 

In March this year, after a lengthy investigation, the Parliamentary Ombudsman concluded ministers got things wrong and should pay compensation to more than 3.6 million affected women.

Campaigners argue the worst affected individuals received just 18 months' notice of a six-year delay to their State Pension, plunging tens of thousands of women into poverty.

Deborah Dalton and Frances Neil (Image: Supplied)

Frances, who was a headteacher in Southend and benefitted from a teacher’s pension, had to wait five years for her state pension, taking her teacher's pension at 62 and working for another seven years.

She believes her losses during that time to total £50,000.

"With one Waspi woman tragically dying every 13 minutes, ministers must urgently step in to make sure justice is finally delivered," she continued.

"We simply cannot afford to wait any longer."

The ombudsman’s report suggested that compensation at level four, ranging between £1,000 and £2,950, could be appropriate for each of those affected.

Compensating all women born in the 1950s at the level four range would involve spending between about £3.5 billion and £10.5 billion of public funds, the report said.

Despite record support from hundreds of MPs across the House of Commons, ministers are yet to respond.

South Essex Waspi women are expected to join thousands of other women from across the country to march to Parliament in the protest on Wednesday, set to take place from 12pm to 3pm.

Those wishing to find out further information about the protest can contact waspisee1@gmail.com.