Members of the Windrush generation have been paid over £30.6 million in compensation, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced today (Wednesday 22 September).
The Windrush Compensation Scheme paid more than £1.5 million in the month of August - bringing the total amount paid and offered to more than £36 million.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
I have been clear that I will act to put right the wrongs suffered by the Windrush generation under successive governments.
I overhauled the compensation scheme in December to make it easier for people to get higher payments more quickly, and as a result of my changes, more than £36 million has been paid or offered.
These figures show real progress and I will continue to work tirelessly to make sure that more people get the compensation they deserve.
The changes made in December include increasing the minimum payment to £10,000 - 40 times greater than the previous minimum award available.
Within 6 weeks of the changes being announced, the Home Office had offered more in compensation than in the first 19 months of the scheme, rising £6.17 million to more than £12 million at the end of January 2021.
Total payments have also risen rapidly since the changes were announced. Since the end of December, the Home Office has paid more than 9 times the total amount previously distributed throughout the lifetime of the scheme, which began in April 2019.
Last month the Home Secretary announced that anyone seeking compensation for the losses and impacts they suffered because they were unable to demonstrate their lawful status can do so indefinitely, by removing the formal end date. She also announced further improvements to the compensation scheme including changes to the primary claim form to make it easier to complete for applicants and easier for caseworkers to process.
From the outset of the scheme, caseworkers have been instructed to ensure everyone who makes a claim receives the maximum compensation possible under the scheme's rules. This ethos has been continued as the scheme has been overhauled.
To the end of August 2021:
- more than £30.6 million in compensation has been paid across 837 claims
- in addition, over £5.6 million has been offered in compensation, awaiting acceptance or pending review
- in total, more than £36 million has been paid or offered in compensation awards
