Liverpool: Thousands could be owed Windrush compensation

The Windrush flag flies over Liverpool Town Hall, marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush ship

Thousands of people across Merseyside could be owed money as part of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, a campaign group says.

Liverpool Advocates for Windrush (LAW) has conducted a survey of people across the region.

It received more than 1,200 responses, which organisers say "shows how big the issue is across Merseyside".

They want to bring focus and understanding to one of the "greatest scandals" in modern British history.

The "Windrush generation" refers to a group of people from the Caribbean who arrived in Britain between 1948 and 1971 to help rebuild the country and address post-war labour shortages after the Second World War.

The programme began with the arrival of the ship HMT Empire Windrush.

When the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 was passed it resulted in a series of government interventions, which were accelerated by then Home Secretary Theresa May from 2014 onwards.

These interventions saw a significant tightening of documentation checks for people from the Windrush generation. However, it emerged in 2018 that the Home Office had kept no historic records of those granted permission to stay, and failed to issue the required documentation to confirm their status.

As a result of the policies and failings, thousands of people from the Windrush generation couldn't access NHS healthcare, benefits, pensions and work.

Some were sacked from their jobs, evicted from their homes and many were wrongly detained.

'Untold misery'

LAW was established in 2023 and is a voluntary organisation working to address the injustices caused by "hostile" government policies, which have caused "untold misery" to the Windrush generation and their families.

It also offers person-centred trauma counselling, free administrative services, and expert advice on the Windrush Compensation Scheme (WCS).

It was founded by Tonika Stephenson and Garrick Prayogg - a second generation Windrush descendant - to support people impacted by government policy on Windrush and guide families through the complex process of rectifying their immigration status.

Mr Prayogg said: "At first, we thought that if we got a hundred responses to the survey it would be a wholly worthwhile exercise.

"The fact it received more than 1200 shows how big the issue is across Merseyside."

According to the government, the Windrush Compensation Scheme is designed to compensate people who suffered loss because they unable to demonstrate their lawful status in the UK.

There is no closing date for applications and it covers a "range of categories" - it is also open to close family members of Windrush migrants, and covers people who came from 1948 to 1988.

Former deputy leader of Knowsley Council Louise Harbour said: "LAW has uncovered a minimum of 180 affected residents in the Knowsley area alone, indicating that this number may just be the tip of the iceberg.

"I will be doing everything I can at a local level in Knowsley and across the Liverpool city region to highlight the issue and find opportunities for us as a community to help and assist, in whatever way we can."