Norfolk campaigners for women who lost out because of state pension age changes have hailed an "extraordinary result" after winning a legal challenge that opens the door for more to get compensation.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign has scored a major victory in its fight to win compensation for 1950s-born women affected by state pension age changes, of which there are 52,000 in Norfolk.
The government watchdog conceded part of its investigation into how increases to the state pension age were communicated was flawed and needs to be reconsidered.
READ MORE: Hope for WASPI women as MPs back compensation call
The WASPI group launched a judicial review in the High Court earlier this year – raising £120,000 from thousands of affected women – to challenge the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report.
READ MORE: Norfolk County Council backs 'WASPI' women's pension fight
And the PHSO agreed, out of court, that it would withdraw and revisit its work, which could lead to it recommending a higher level of compensation when the second stage of its investigation is published.
Debbie de Spon, co-ordinator for the Norfolk WASPI group and communications director for the national WASPI campaign, said: "This an extraordinary result for 1950s-born women.
READ MORE: WASPI campaigners highlight divide in pensions for men and women
"The PHSO has never before responded to a judicial review in this way, which is a testament to the strength of our arguments.
"This victory is the foundation stone for getting a better report from the ombudsman, and - in turn - the fast, fair compensation WASPI has been campaigning for all these years."
A PHSO spokesman said it had agreed to look again at part of the report, hoping that doing so would "provide the quickest route to remedy for those affected and reduce the delay to the publication of our final report."
Norfolk County Council last week agreed to reaffirm its support for the WASPI women campaign.
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