Helensburgh’s MSP Jackie Baillie has hit out at the impact of UK Government plans to raise the pension age, with thousands of residents due to work a year longer before they can access their entitlement.

According to new analysis from House of Commons library figures, a total of 9,700 people in the region will be affected by the change, with a further 8,800 Argyll and Bute residents also set to lose out.

The new changes unveiled by Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke last month will see the pension age rise from 67 to 68 by 2037, with men and women currently aged between 39 and 47 due to be the main losers from the changes.

Responding to the new figures, Ms Baillie said: “This proposal was not in the Tories’ recent manifesto, and taken with the way that WASPI women have been dealt with, this government continues to show a complete lack of transparency and respect for pension rights.

“The latest research on life expectancy, published days ago, shows that there is no evidential basis for setting the state pension age even further back.”

Announcing the changes, Mr Gauke told MPs the move would save £74bn by 2045/46 and said it was necessary to ensure a “fair and sustainable” system.