Action for Race Equality welcomes Age UK’s recent show of support for people impacted by the Windrush Scandal and ongoing issues with the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Their new report, entitled Justice Denied: Reforming the Windrush Compensation Scheme, was published today on Thursday 29th February, coinciding with Baroness Benjamin’s important debate in the House of Lords. It models how pension losses for those impacted by the Scandal could be calculated in an improved compensation scheme.
The national charity joins many existing voices ramping up their calls for government to do more to implement all the recommendations from Wendy William’s 2020 ‘Lessons Learned Review’ which sought to redress the harms caused by the Windrush Scandal which hit the headlines in 2018.
To make the Compensation Scheme fit for purpose Age UK calls for:
- An independent body that older people can trust to take over the running of the Compensation Scheme from the Home Office
- Compensation to be made available for losses to both State and private pensions.
- Faster application and appeals processes.
- Better training for case workers and determined management action to ensure greater consistency between cases in terms of outcomes.
- Improved routes for challenging Compensation Scheme decisions.
- Loss of future earnings to be compensated more generously.
Too many received shameful treatment which has had a devastating impact on them and their families. What makes the Windrush Scandal even worse is that rather than righting the wrongs done, the Windrush Compensation Scheme has itself become a cause of further distress”
Age UK
While retirement should be a time for rest and enjoying one’s golden years, the lives of too many of our Windrush generation have been undeniably tainted by Home Office failures to compensate people properly for the huge damage done by the Windrush scandal. Age UK’s report highlights the ongoing flaws in the compensation scheme and makes some clear recommendations to the Government. They should act on them now before many more die.”
Partick Vernon OBE, Campaigner & ARE Windrush Advisor
Age UK’s new report provides further evidence that the Windrush Compensation Scheme is not fit for purpose. Advocates on our Windrush Justice Programme tell us time and time again that the burden of proof for the scheme is far too high. As it stands, the loss of private pensions is not included in the current scheme. Age UK shows us it can be done. We implore the government to act in light of this vital research.”
Kimberly McIntosh, ARE Windrush Policy Lead
Through our Windrush Justice Programme, Action for Race Equality has been working with 20 advocacy groups across England and Wales who have been offering vital legal and advocacy support to people affected by the Scandal, and with applying for Compensation.
In May last year, we held a parliamentary event where groups spoke about many of the same concerns raised by Age UK.
Government should shoulder the burden of proof:
ARE has heard repeated calls for government to internally and efficiently interrogate the information they already hold on people with other departments and agencies and reduce the excessive burden of proof needed from individuals
End the Caseworker lottery:
Home Office caseworkers responsible for managing claims and in decision-making roles operate without standardised protocols or guidelines. The outcome and quality of claims are left to the discretion of individual caseworkers.
End the neglect of overseas individuals affected by the scandal:
People overseas, who have already been deported, are at a huge disadvantage and neglected. Forms for overseas claimants are unnecessarily complex even for those with legal training. In one case, a legal team had to click 17 times from the GOV.UK homepage to find the link for overseas claims.
The Windrush Justice Programme, funded by a coalition of trusts and foundations, is currently offering Windrush groups small grants of £22,000 (across two years).
If you’re based in the UK and provide advocacy support to those wishing to access the Windrush Compensation Scheme, including work to regulate their status before being able to access the fund, you may be eligible to apply for our third funding round.
Check if your organisation is eligible for funding
