Home Secretary has announced sweeping and radical reforms to the Windrush compensation scheme after several weeks of rising anger from the victims who complained about the low offers of compensation that were being made after prolonged delays, it emerged. Priti Patel aims to make these payments more “generous” and “swifter” with the cap on the “impact on life” category of the award being lifted from £10,000 to £100,000 now.
It has also been reported that anyone who has already received an offer of payment under the scheme will have their cases reviewed, with a basic minimum award of £10,000 set to be offered to everyone who can show that the scandal has had an impact on their life.
Announcing these measures, the Home Secretary said, “The Windrush generation built their lives and their homes in Britain and I have always said that I will listen and act to ensure they get the compensation they deserve. I truly hope the changes I am announcing today will make a real difference to people’s lives and I urge everyone who thinks they may have been affected to come forward and apply. While nothing can undo the suffering they endured I hope that the additional money and support now available will go some way to rebuild trust so that we can move forward together.”
This £10,000 award will be fast-tracked, and paid out as soon as claimants have demonstrated that they have suffered as a result of the Windrush scandal. The Windrush scandal arose in 2018 when thousands of British citizens, predominantly from the Caribbean, were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation, despite having the right to live in the UK. Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits. At least nine people have died in the period between making an application for compensation and receiving an offer. Last month Alexandra Ankrah, head of policy for the scheme had reportedly resigned from her job because she felt the programme was “not fit for purpose” and she was concerned by the attitudes of some Home Office colleagues towards claimants, which she felt displayed a “complete lack of humanity”.
