The Statistics
Difficulties with the Windrush Compensation Scheme are clearly shown in the statistics collected by the Home Office. At the end of February 2025, the data showed that from the start of the scheme a total 9,848 claims had been received and that 9,165 decisions had been made. A number of the claims were deemed not to be eligible or had been withdrawn leaving 8,398 eligible claims to be decided on. A massive 5,373 claimants were told that they had zero entitlement to compensation.
The scheme clearly isn’t fit for purpose. The stats show that out of the 8,398 decisions made on eligible claims since the start of compensation scheme only 3,025 claims end up with an offer of compensation – that’s a 36% success rate. BEO and other racial justice organisations are continuing to press for a revamp of the scheme so that proper assessments are made of the eligible claims that are presented.
People like Janet Mckay-Williams have shared how the Windrush scandal has heavily affected their lives, with arrests, risks of deportation, inability to work, and financial stress burdened on them.
Our Project
We are carrying out a research project that is looking into the impact of the Windrush Scandal on the housing of those caught up in the scandal. Little is known about the extent to which individuals and families had their homes repossessed or who were evicted because they couldn’t pay the mortgage or rent because they’d lost the right to work or stopped receiving housing benefit.
The project’s aim is to raise awareness about who can make a claim to the Windrush Compensation Scheme. Particularly, individuals whose nationality or place of residence is a country from the African commonwealth are not making claims on the scheme, which is something we are looking to examine.
We are privileged to have an Advisory Board of experts on Windrush who are providing invaluable support to ensure that the project can lead to evidenced data that will lead to meaningful change.
The Background
The project follows on from the work we did when we attended the Committee of Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva last summer. Along with other racial justice organisations we raised the difficulties with the compensation scheme, the lack of representation to assist with claims, and the failure to implement the Wendy Williams Lessons Learned Review recommendations.
The CERD made recommendations to rectify the impact of the Windrush Scandal. The Government is due to report back in September 2025 to show what they’ve done.
This project looks to tackle the lack of engagement with the scheme, and the impact the scandal has had on the housing situation of those caught up in the scandal.
The Advocacy Fund
The Government recently announced that it has opened an application process for community-based advocacy support organisations that have assisted Windrush compensation claimants in the past to apply for funding to assist new claimants to make claims. If you know of community organisations who have supported individuals to make a Windrush compensation claim, please let them know about the fund. The closing date for applications is the 9th of May 2025. You can find out more here.
