Home Secretary pledges fundamental reset in Windrush response

A Windrush Commissioner is to be appointed and funding made available for groups which help victims apply for compensation, Yvette Cooper announced as she committed to a “fundamental reset of the response to this scandal”.

The Home Secretary said £1.5 million will be made available for organisations providing advocacy for applicants to the compensation scheme, which has been criticised by many as complicated and too slow.

Labour had committed in its manifesto to appointing a commissioner as well as promising that victims would “have their voices heard” and the compensation scheme would be “run effectively”.

No timeline has been set out for when the commissioner might be in place or when the grant funding scheme will be open for applications.

In a written statement to the Commons on Thursday, Ms Cooper said: “I want to update the House on the Government’s progress in fulfilling our Manifesto commitment to the Windrush Generation, ensuring they receive the support they deserve quickly and efficiently.

“Additionally, we are reigniting the vital transformation work from the Wendy Williams Windrush Lessons Learned Review to embed lasting changes in how the Department serves all communities.”

The update came as Ms Cooper was due to meet with organisations including Action for Race Equality, Justice for Windrush Generation and Age UK for a roundtable discussion.

The previous Conservative government had been condemned by campaigners for going back on a commitment to implement all 30 recommendations in the review led by solicitor Ms Williams.

Despite all being originally accepted by then-home secretary Priti Patel, in January 2023 it was confirmed that Suella Braverman, who was in post as home secretary by that stage, had dropped a commitment to hold reconciliation events, establish a migrants’ commissioner, and to increase the powers of the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration.

In June, the High Court ruled that the decision to drop the latter two had been unlawful.

The Windrush scandal – which campaigners have since said should be known as the Home Office scandal – erupted in 2018 when British citizens were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation despite having the right to live in Britain.

Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits.

Ms Cooper said the commissioner will be “an independent advocate for all those affected” and “act as a trusted voice for families and communities, driving improvements and promoting lasting change”.

Pledging a change in approach by the new Government, she said they would work more closely with victims and communities, adding: “The Windrush generation have been let down and we are committed to a fundamental reset of the response to this scandal.”

The £1.5 million for organisations to provide advocacy and support for compensation scheme applicants is an attempt to address how time-consuming and complicated the process can be, Ms Cooper said, as she described how “discouraging” this had been for people.

She said: “For many, filing a claim is intimidating and requires them to revisit past traumas. By sharing their experiences with impartial community members, we want to make this process as supportive as possible.

“This assistance will be offered alongside but separate from existing claims support, giving claimants flexibility and choice regarding the type of help they want and where they can access it.”

The latest figures, published by the Home Office in September, showed that of the 868 Windrush compensation scheme claims that were still being processed at the end of August, 135 (16%) had been in the system for at least 12 months.

Some 63 claims (7% of the total) had been in the system for more than 18 months, down from 118 a year earlier.

A total of 9,000 claims had been made by the end of August 2024.

Nearly £96 million has now been paid out under the scheme, covering 2,703 claims – an average of around £35,500 per claim.

As part of its update this week, the Home Office has said it is also “rapidly reviewing the issue of private and occupational pensions losses which has caused real frustration and concern”.

The department highlighted that it had re-established the Windrush Unit – disbanded by the previous government last year – within the Home Office “within weeks of taking office” to oversee the response to the scandal and “embed lasting cultural change”.

Published: 24/10/2024 by Radio NewsHub