‘I despair as debts mount’: teachers’ pension delays put lives on hold

Retired teacher Richard Blewitt says his life is on hold because of the delays in getting an up-to-date valuation of his pension pot. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Current and retired teachers who are getting divorced have said their lives are on hold because of a bureaucratic logjam involving their pensions.

One teacher, Katherine Laird, said she believed she was among “huge numbers” of people who were unable to finalise a divorce while she waited for a valuation from Teachers’ Pensions, with the wait “causing huge distress and also costing money”.