First Windrush Commissioner vows cultural change, accountability and action

Independent

14 hours ago

A new Windrush Commissioner has pledged to act 'without fear or favour' in a role which will see him potentially make changes to the much-criticised compensation scheme.
Reverend Clive Foster is the first person to take up the role, fulfilling a promise by Labour in its manifesto to appoint a Windrush Commissioner.
The post was advertised earlier this year as a three-day week role with an annual salary of £130,000 and for a three-year term.
Mr Foster is a senior pastor at the Pilgrim Church in Nottingham and is the son of parents who migrated to the UK from Jamaica in 1959.
A founder of the Nottingham Windrush Support Forum and vice-chair of the Windrush National Organisation, the Home Office said he brings both lived experience and professional expertise to the role.
He vowed to work constructively with Government but to maintain independence in a role he hopes can bring 'change that the Windrush generations can see and feel in their everyday lives'.
Mr Foster said: 'I'm honoured to take on the role of Windrush Commissioner. I'm committed to ensuring justice is delivered for the Windrush generations – people who have given so much to this country and deserve better than the treatment they have received.
'The injustices they faced must never be repeated, and that requires more than words; it requires cultural change, accountability, and action.
'My aim is to deliver change that the Windrush generations can see and feel in their everyday lives, particularly in how the Windrush Status and Compensation Schemes operate.
'I will carry out this role independently, without fear or favour, while creating a constructive relationship with Government where challenge is welcomed and scrutiny leads to specific, transparent improvements.'
The Windrush scandal – which campaigners have since said should be known as the Home Office scandal – erupted in 2018 when British citizens were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation despite having the right to live in Britain.
Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits.
The compensation scheme set up for victims of the scandal has faced criticism from campaigners and those within the community as complicated and too slow.
Earlier this week Home Office minister Seema Malhotra said around 64 Windrush compensation claimants had died after applying for payouts, as she set out the Government's wish to speed up 'justice'.
She told the House of Commons on Monday that the new commissioner would look at ways to change the compensation scheme.
Ms Malhotra told MPs: 'In opposition, we frequently heard that the application process was too complicated with insufficient support for those wishing to make a claim.
'The Government is determined to ensure that the victims of the Home Office Windrush scandal are heard, that justice is sped up, that the compensation scheme is run efficiently and effectively.'
Mr Foster has been appointed with immediate effect but will begin his formal duties shortly after Windrush Day celebrations on Sunday, the Home Office said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has repeated her insistence that Labour is 'absolutely determined to right the wrongs they suffered at the hands of the Home Office'.
She added: 'This is why I am delighted to welcome Reverend Clive Foster as our new Windrush Commissioner.
'His deep understanding through his own connections and dedicated community work makes him the perfect champion for those affected by this historic injustice.
'I look forward to working closely with Reverend Foster as we continue our vital work to rebuild trust and deliver the justice that the Windrush generations so rightfully deserve.'
A total of 10,190 claims had been made under the scheme as of April this year, according to the latest Home Office data.
Of these, 632 were still in the system, 116 had been suspended and 9,442 had been given a final decision of whether or not they were eligible for compensation.
Among the 632 being processed were 56 that had been in the system for at least 12 months, or 9% of the total caseload still in progress.
This proportion has been on a slow downwards trend, having stood at 15% a year earlier in April 2024 and 28% three years ago in April 2022.
Some 28 claims had been in the system for more than 18 months as of April this year, down from 54 a year earlier.
The figures also show that £110.5 million has been paid out so far, covering 3,291 claims – an average of around £33,590 per claim.
There are 7,898 claims that have now been fully closed, more than half of which (56%) were found to have no entitlement to compensation, 34% were offered compensation and 10% had their eligibility for a claim refused or withdrawn.