Compensation to victims of the Windrush scandal has hit almost £63 million, but calls remain to make the scheme independent of the Home Office due to a lack of faith in the system.
The latest Government figures for May – published a day ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush ship’s arrival at Tilbury docks – show hundreds of people had been in the system awaiting a claim outcome for at least a year.
The scheme, set up after the Windrush scandal which erupted in 2018 and saw people with a right to live in the UK lose access to work and face wrongful detention or deportation, has faced criticism for being slow and inefficient.
As of last month, £75 million had been offered, with £62.7 million of that paid out.
The Home Office has said it remains “absolutely committed to righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal” but recognised there is “more to do” when it comes to the compensation scheme.
Analysis by the PA news agency of the most up-to-date figures published on Wednesday shows that of the 2,138 claims in progress as of May, 302 (14%) had been in the system for at least 12 months, including 154 for more than 18 months.
A year earlier in May 2022, a lower number of claims were in progress – 1,953 – but a higher number had been in the system for 12 months and over: 592, or 30% of the total.
Over the same period, the proportion of claims in the system for just one to three months has gone up, from 20% in May 2022 to 32% in May this year.
The May 2023 figures are an improvement on April, when 347 (16%) of claims had been in the system for at least 12 months, including 162 for more than 18 months.
We know there is more to do, and will work tirelessly to make sure such an injustice is never repeated— Home Office
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We continue to make improvements so people receive the maximum award as quickly as possible.
“This includes establishing a review process for those dissatisfied with their compensation offer. However, we know there is more to do, and will work tirelessly to make sure such an injustice is never repeated.”
Thursday will see celebrations held across Britain to mark the 75th anniversary, including a commemorative service at London’s Southwark Cathedral, and the Windrush flag being raised in locations including the Houses of Parliament and the Home Office.
The HMT Empire Windrush first docked in England on June 22 1948 at Tilbury Docks in Essex, bringing people from the Caribbean who answered Britain’s call to help fill post-war labour shortages.
The scandal, which came to light in 2018, saw many British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, denied access to healthcare and benefits and threatened with deportation despite having the right to live in the UK.
A lawyer who has met hundreds of people needing help with their claims has accused the Home Office of institutional racism, saying she believed no other group of people in society would be treated “this callously”.
Jacqueline McKenzie, partner at the law firm Leigh Day, said they had had clients who were initially rejected for any compensation who were then offered tens of thousands when their case was reviewed in what she said is evidence of “poor case-working”.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme is available to people of all ages and nationalities including those from African, Asian and Caribbean backgrounds who have suffered due to being unable to prove their legal right to live in the UK.
Leading Windrush campaigner Patrick Vernon has voiced his concerns that the compensation scheme will be wound up entirely in the next year.
The Home Office is not the right department, they are the perpetrators,— Patrick Vernon
This week it was also reported that the Home Office unit set up with responsibility for reforming the department in the wake of the scandal is to be disbanded.
The Home Office has said the Government is “honouring its Windrush commitments and providing support to those affected every day”, adding that the compensation scheme “will stay open as long as needed”.
Mr Vernon said that while some people have received “decent” compensation, many “don’t trust the Home Office”.
He told PA: “The Home Office is not the right department, they are the perpetrators, it should be independent.”
Black Equity Organisation chief executive Dr Wanda Wyporska said: “The best thing the Government can do to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush is to hand the administration of the compensation scheme to an independent body focussed on putting victims first.”
