Corporate report

Minutes of the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group: 30 June 2021 (accessible version)

Updated 4 March 2024

Date: 30 June 2021, 10:30 –12:00

Venue: Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, Westminster, SW1P 4DF

Co-Chairs: Home Secretary, Rt Hon Priti Patel MP and Bishop Derek Webley MBE DL

Attendees: For a full list of attendees, please see Annex A.

Welcome and introductions

1. The Home Secretary and Bishop Derek Webley opened the third meeting of the Cross-Government Working Group. The Home Secretary reflected on the work that has been delivered to date despite challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Bishop Webley also extended his thanks to the Group for their continued work and efforts on behalf of the Windrush generation and their families, noting the relentless dedication of the Group.

2. The Co-Chairs welcomed the progress made by the Group and the focus brought by the two sub-groups whose priorities include responding to the Wendy Williams Lessons Learned Review, Windrush Community Fund and Windrush Schemes. The Home Secretary noted that more than £32 million had now been offered to individuals under the Windrush Compensation Scheme, of which £24 million had been paid out, and that the Home Office recognised the Group’s role in instigating interim payments and other improvements to the scheme. The Home Secretary also stressed the importance of celebrating the positive contributions made by the Windrush communities, emphasised the need to build a better future and put forward a hand of kindness and support. The Home Secretary also recognised the need for scrutiny and independence and welcomed the newly appointed Independent Person, Martin Levermore. Bishop Webley highlighted the importance of the Group meeting soon after Windrush Day, and recognised the steps that have been taken and the work left to do.

The Windrush Lessons Learned Review and the Comprehensive Improvement Plan

3. The Chair of the sub-group, Duwayne Brooks, thanked everyone for their work and support and welcomed progress made against the 30 recommendations, noting that some of them were almost closed. Duwayne Brooks updated the Group on his approach to monthly meetings and monitoring the work of the department and shared his reflections on the importance of strong progress with recommendation 7 in particular, welcoming the opportunity to work with officials to help drive further progress in the review and evaluation work. The Home Secretary recognised the importance of working across government to make meaningful progress against all recommendations.

4. Home Office officials updated on communications and outreach work aimed at raising awareness of the Windrush Schemes amongst affected communities. The Group also received a paper (Paper 1) which updated on progress made against each of the five themes contained within the Comprehensive Improvement Plan:

• Theme 1 – Right the wrongs and learn from the past: Every member of Home Office staff will undertake training on the history of migration and race in the UK so that they better understand the impact of departmental decisions, including when developing and applying immigration policy.

• Theme 2 – A more compassionate approach - a new mandatory ‘Face Behind the Case’ training course for all UK Visa and Immigration staff has been launched, with plans to expand this to other areas. The new Home Office values - compassionate, courageous, collaborative, and respectful have been launched in consultation with Home Office staff and volunteers.

• Theme 3 – Inclusive and Rigorous policy-making – The Home Office is putting in place a set of policy tests to ensure the key findings from the Windrush Lessons Learned Review are applied as new policy is developed.

• Theme 4 – Openness to Scrutiny – The Home Office is committed to engaging with community leaders, civil society and the public throughout the policymaking process to understand real-life impacts. A new Community and Stakeholder Engagement Hub has been created at the centre of the Home Office. This will draw on best practice to build knowledge and skills across the department.

• Theme 5 – An inclusive workforce – The Home Office has relaunched its Race Action Plan to help improve the diversity of staff in senior roles and ensure the Home Office reflects the diverse communities it serves.

5. Work with other government departments – The Home Office updated on the collaborative work it has done with other government departments including the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education to raise awareness of the Wendy Williams Review, and the need to reach into affected communities. The Home Office welcomed continued opportunities for more cross-government work. The Home Secretary emphasised the importance of a cross-government approach to supporting and celebrating communities from the Windrush generation.

Windrush Community Fund, Windrush Scheme and Windrush Compensation Scheme

6. The Chair of the sub-group, Paulette Simpson, thanked the Group for its work and support and reported on progress against priorities including: the design and launch of the £500,000 Windrush Community Fund last December for grassroots and community organisations to promote and raise awareness of the Windrush Schemes; work with the independent grant administrator, Voice4Change England, to shortlist 14 organisations from Phase 1, with Phase 2 closing on the day of the meeting; and work with the Home Office to offer support and material to organisations to enable them to run projects successfully. In addition, Paulette Simpson reported on the Group’s outreach work including engaging with High Commissioners for the Caribbean and more widely including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Ghana. Paulette Simpson also reported on the work completed with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to launch the Windrush Day Grant, with 42 projects receiving support across the country. The Home Secretary thanked the Group for its breadth and range of work and emphasised the importance of extending reach into communities wider than the Caribbean.

7. The Group received a paper setting out progress on the Windrush Scheme, Windrush Compensation Scheme, recent communications activities and engagement and outreach (paper 2). Home Office officials reported that more than £24 million of compensation had been paid across 732 claims, and more than £32 million had been paid or offered in compensation awards. Additional caseworkers had been recruited to try and speed up the claims process while claim forms and accompanying guidance were being revamped, working with Crystal Mark, to make the language and process easier to understand. Further progress in supporting the Windrush generation continued – over 13,300 documents have been provided to over 11,500 individuals confirming their status or British citizenship, and the Vulnerable Persons Team continued to provide support to those in need having supported 1,700 individuals by the end of February 2021. Changes were made to the Compensation Scheme in December 2020, based on the ongoing feedback from stakeholders and those impacted, and these had been communicated through an ongoing programme of outreach and engagement across the country. The Home Office would continue to listen to feedback and make improvements where needed. The Home Secretary thanked the team for the work it had delivered to date and recognised the life-changing sums that helped put people on a different footing.

8. Independent Person – Martin Levermore, the newly appointed independent Person, shared a paper (paper 3) setting out his early reflections. He noted the commitment shown across the Home Office to the work on Windrush and was pleased with the general direction of travel. He noted that more was needed to get the positive stories out to the public. A more detailed report would be provided at the next meeting.

Updates from other government departments

9. Ministry of Defence: The Ministry of Defence updated on work to identify members of the Windrush Generation and their families in the armed forces, and would continue to work with the Home Office and the Windrush Community Fund and Windrush Schemes sub-group to progress this. The Ministry of Defence also shared reflections on how it marked Windrush Day and the work it was doing with the Home Office to apply the Lessons Learned Review within its own department.

10. MHCLG – On behalf of MHCLG (who were unable to attend), the Chair of the Windrush Community Fund and Windrush Schemes sub-group shared their paper (paper 4) which included an update on the Windrush Day Grant to support celebrations on Windrush Day. Funded projects included lectures, a steel band, story-telling and film-showing. The Windrush Monument was due to be unveiled at Waterloo Station, on the advice of the Windrush Commemoration Committee Chaired by Baroness Benjamin. Unveiling will take place on Windrush Day (2022). Four artists from Caribbean descent have been shortlisted to design the monument, and include a mix of world renowned and upcoming artists. Public engagement would take place between 14 July and 25 August to gather views on the final design.

11. Department for Education: The Department for Education shared a paper (paper 5) which reported on its collaborative work with the Home Office to understand the lessons learned from the Wendy Williams Review, and how it had applied these when engaging with its customers, and in establishing a Race Programme Board.

12. Update from Blondel Cluff – The Home Secretary invited Blondel Cluff to provide an update. Blondel Cluff reported that: she was pleased to hear the Ministry of Defence had welcomed the West India Committee’s Project – The West Indian Soldier – produced in collaboration with the National Army Museum; noted the planned circulation of a 50p Windrush Coin that would be designed by a Caribbean artist and would be issued in 2023 to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Windrush voyage; looked forward to working with the Department for Education on Windrush related matters; and signposted potential support from and collaboration with the National Lottery Community Fund for Windrush communities and initiatives in her capacity as its newly appointed Chair. Blondel Cluff also reported that she had arranged a roundtable with MHCLG to address the potential for matched funding from the lottery in respect of the Windrush Day Fund.

Reflections on Windrush Day

13. Bishop Webley shared his reflections on Windrush Day and was pleased to see the Windrush Flag flying over the Home Office, No 10 and the Houses of Parliament. He also reported on the Group’s attendance at No 10 to meet the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to mark Windrush Day. The Permanent Secretary of the Home Office noted the extensive range of events, talks and activities put in place to mark Windrush day including new lanyards for staff that include the Home Office values, which were inspired by the Wendy Williams Lessons learned review and designed by Home Office staff from Windrush communities. The Group also shared their reflections on Windrush Day and agreed that positive stories should be shared more widely. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office offered to continue working with the Home Office to engage High Commissioners on Windrush who remain interested in this topic.

Closing remarks

14. The Home Secretary closed by acknowledging the breadth of work undertaken by the Group and recognising the need to shift to a celebratory narrative, whilst continuing to work hard for the Windrush generation. The Home Secretary also acknowledged the need to be more public-facing and engage with grassroots communities, and re-iterated the need for extending the hand of friendship and kindness. Bishop Webley reflected on the need for Members to have more interface with communities and be more visible, and welcomed continued open engagement with the Home Office to support those from the Windrush generation.

15. Both the Home Secretary and Bishop Webley thanked everyone for their work and commitment and asked for any other business to be tabled in light of the shortness of time.

Meeting closed.

Actions

1. Work of the sub-groups would continue, with government representatives, with regular meetings already scheduled.
2. Home Office officials would meet Duwayne Brooks to discuss Recommendation 7.
3. Home Office would work with MHCLG to map out where community work was taking place.

Annex A: List of attendees

Co-chairs

Home Secretary, Rt Hon Priti Patel MP and Bishop Derek Webley MBE DL

Stakeholder members

• Bishop Dr Joe Aldred (Pentecostal and Multicultural Relations, Churches Together in England)
• Duwayne Brooks OBE (Managing Director, Active Community Engagement and Development)
• Blondel Cluff (Chief Executive, West India Committee)
• Loanna Morrison (Journalist and founder of London Apprenticeship Fair)
• Kunle Olulode (Director, Voice4Change England)
• Paulette Simpson (Executive Director, ‘The Voice’)

Independent Adviser to the Windrush Compensation Scheme

• Martin Levermore

Government representatives

• Matthew Rycroft (Permanent Secretary, Home Office)
• Mark Davies (Director, Population Health, DHSC)
• Kirsty Watt (Deputy Director, Equalities, DfE)
• Jean Wilson (Deputy Director, Service Planning and Delivery, DWP)
• Greg Quinn (Director, Americas, FCDO)
• Samantha Des Forges (Director, HR, MOD)
• Michael Warren (Director, Labour Markets, BEIS)
• Roshnee Patel (Deputy Director, Legal Support and Fees Policy, Access to Justice, MOJ)
• Kate Ridley-Moy (Deputy Director, Windrush Lessons Learned Review Implementation Team, Home Office)
• Tom Greig (Deputy Director, Head of Windrush Compensation Scheme, Home Office)
• Ben Biddulph (Windrush Communications, Home Office)

• Daniel Barcroft (Home Secretary’s Private Secretary)

• Myles Stacey (No 10 Special Advisers)

• Angela Wilson (Secretariat, Home Office)
• Shakila Bukhari (Secretariat, Home Office)
• Claire Williams and Kate Cranston-Turner (Secretariat, Race Disparity Unit)

Apologies: Dr Tony Sewell (Chief Executive, Generating Genius; Chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities), Julia Sweeney (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), Emma Haddad (Director General, UKVI, Home Office)