Petition: Improve the compensation scheme for Windrush survivors and family members
We are calling on the government to improve the Windrush compensation scheme by doing three things:
1: Make the compensation scheme process easier by considering independence and accessibility.
2: Put a substantial amount of funding into the scheme to support grass roots and voluntary sector services that run outreach and support programmes for survivors in the UK, Africa and the Caribbean on legal assistance, advocacy and emotional well-being.
3: Include a full apology letter with every single compensation letter.
Why is this important?
In April 2019 the government launched the Windrush Compensation Scheme in response to the Windrush Scandal. But as recently as January 2020 only 36 cases had been awarded compensation – out of 1000 applications so far.
The compensation scheme was meant to help people get their lives back on track and for the government to acknowledge and apologise in how they abused the rights of Black British Citizens. But instead the scheme has been far too complicated for victims to use, with very little support for those making claims.
This has affected people’s entire lives, like Michael Braithwaite who was born in Trinidad and came to Britain in 1961: ‘Over the last two years my life has been turned upside down. The mental stress and turmoil that caused me ill health still impact my daily life. The government compensation scheme has not been fairly documented, it was constructed behind closed doors, no public input and no one to represent the Windrush victims.’
Stephanie O ‘Connor, who moved to the UK in 1967 as a child says: ‘For my mum the compensation scheme has come too late and I’m so disappointed that it is still taking this long for people to get what is owed to them. I just hope that people get compensated fairly for everything that they have been through.’
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