Over £41 million compensation offered to the Windrush generation

Over £41 million has been paid or offered to the Windrush generation through the Compensation Scheme, the Home Secretary has announced today. Over £35 million has been paid to 940 people.

There have been a number of significant payments:

• 187 people have been offered or paid between £50,000 and £100,000
• 61 people have been offered or paid between £100,000 and £200,000
• 11 people have been offered or paid between £200,000 and £300,000

The statistics also show that about 45% of applications have been concluded and over 25% of applicants have had a payment.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel said:

Since I overhauled the Windrush Compensation Scheme, the Home Office has been able to secure compensation for more people more quickly. £41 million has now been offered to Windrush victims, with more claims being finalised as quickly as possible.

In addition, 13 further organisations across the UK will receive funding through the Windrush Community Fund. The £500,000 fund allows community and grassroot organisations to bid for up to £25,000 to deliver projects to help raise awareness of the Windrush Scheme documentation and Windrush Compensation Scheme.

There were high numbers of Windrush Community Fund applications. The independent grant administrator, Voice4Change-England, and the Windrush Working Group have been working closely with the department on the Community Fund.

Croydon BME Forum have secured funding to create a Windrush digital hub, which will include a website and community app, bringing together a host of different materials including videos, images and maps, with information on the Windrush schemes. They will also hold a series of events to increase distribution of the information and materials.

Rising Stars North West, based in Manchester, will use their funding to raise awareness of the schemes amongst children and grandchildren of the Windrush generation, equipping them with accurate information to give to their family members.

Citizens’ Rights Project in Edinburgh will be raising awareness of the Windrush schemes with organisations working with migrants and vulnerable adults in Scotland. It will aim to reach 20,000 people through regional publicity and will also be hosting a series of seminars about Windrush and inviting around 200 potentially affected people to attend.

Dorota Peszkowska, a Director of the Citizens’ Rights Project, said:

We are delighted to have secured funding from the Windrush Community Fund.

We are keen to play our part to help those in our communities in Scotland to get the help they need.

It’s so important that everyone eligible for compensation is able to get it, as it could make a big difference to their lives.

We will be delivering this project across Scotland, with the help of our dedicated staff and 56 multilingual volunteers. Online and offline, we will aim to reach all those who may benefit from the Windrush documentation and compensation schemes, in order to restore justice and a sense of belonging to the community. The Citizens’ Rights Project will work with local migrant-led organisations and volunteers for six months to raise awareness about the schemes and communities involved.

The first round of funding was allocated in April 2021 and 14 organisations received funding. One of the organisations, Collage Arts in Haringey, received over £23,000 to produce animations and videos which have been promoted on radio and social channels. It was specifically looking to engage a younger audience, empowering them to support older members of the community.

Steve Medlin, Artistic Director from Collage Arts said:

With the Community Fund we have been able to reach and empower Windrush applicants to come forward and apply to the schemes.

Minister Foster recently came to visit and we were able to show him how the money has been used to benefit our community.

We will keep working to make sure we reach as many people affected by the Windrush scandal as possible.

Phase 1 project delivery continues with some unique and innovative projects including links with local museums, infomercials and community events to both engage communities and raise awareness of the Windrush Schemes. Further information on Phase 1 projects is available.