Less than 7% of the 15,000 compensation claims originally expected by the government have been paid. In anticipation of Windrush Day on Wednesday, applicants continued to report long delays and high levels of skepticism from officials handling their applications. Cuthbert Prospere, 59, who arrived in the United Kingdom from St. Lucia as a four-year-old in 1967, failed to convince compensation workers that he had lost his job as a caretaker at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Trafalgar Square, London. due to its documentation problems. This is despite a letter from the former Bishop of Salisbury confirming that he was a respected member of staff. Prospere fought for decades to prove he was legally in the UK and lost many jobs, including the church, because he was unable to obtain the required security qualifications because he did not have a passport. His claim for compensation states: “The inability to prove his legal right to reside in the United Kingdom has led him to live a life of fear. He has lost many life opportunities and has been deprived of the right to pursue his goals and live a normal life. “His lack of immigration status has trapped him in a cycle of poverty from which he has made great efforts to escape.” However, Home Office officials said it was “impossible” to conclude that he was unable to access work or that he lost his job “due to his inability to prove his legal status”. ». His claim for loss of profits was rejected despite two appeals and he recently accepted a smaller settlement in recognition of the “stress and anxiety” he suffered. “When I read the answer, I felt that they were saying that the job I lost was a figment of my imagination and that I was lying about the whole thing. “It made me very depressed and angry that they did not believe me,” he said. “The government has promised to be fair and just. “I try not to be sad about that.” Nicholas Holtham, who was pastor of the church until 2011 when he was appointed bishop of Salisbury, confirmed that Prosper had worked as a contract keeper for “a significant number of years.” He said it was difficult to access the church’s employment records at the time, making it impossible to provide evidence. “I always thought he was a good soul, but that may not be enough for the Home Office,” he said. Lawyers also submitted photographs and letters of appreciation sent to Prospere while he was working at the church. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said that of the 3,878 applications submitted, 50% had made final decisions, of which 50% had received compensation. They added: “The mistreatment of the Windrush generation by successive governments was completely unacceptable and the Home Secretary will correct these mistakes. We are continuing to process claims under the Windrush compensation system, which has now paid ,5 40.5 million £ to 1,037 claims, while an additional ,2 8.2 million is being offered, pending acceptance or pending review. Prospere’s lawyer, Imran Khan QC, said: “The compensation system has been touted as simple and straightforward. Cuthbert’s experience shows that, in fact, the system works to make reparations as difficult as possible for applicants. Candidates like Cuthbert are made to feel like they are liars. “Every possible obstacle has been put in his way, so the injustice he suffered because he could not make a living due to his immigration status is exacerbated by the injustice of refusing the compensation he deserves.” Leigh Day attorney Jacqueline McKenzie, who handles about 200 claims, said she was “extremely concerned” about the slowness of the program. “People do not hear anything for months and then they are asked for information they have already sent. “The work of the case is very bad,” he said.
