In Parliament – Windrush Debate

This week I secured a debate in Parliament on the government’s response to the Windrush scandal. It’s now two years since Wendy Williams published her Lessons Learnt report and in March this year, she published an update on the government’s progress since.

The report doesn’t make for pretty reading. The Government has failed to implement most of the recommended changes and has done nothing to prevent another similar scandal from occurring again. Not only does the Home Office continue to treat people inhumanely, it has only compensated a small minority of those impacted by the scandal.

I used the debate to highlight the failures of the Windrush Compensation Scheme. The scheme, which is run by the same department that caused the scandal, has unsurprisingly encountered the same problems that led to the scandal in the first place. Delays confused bureaucracy and the failure to treat people with a minimum standard of decency. For the lucky few who are given a decision on their claim, the amounts they are given are insulting. Examples include £1000 for denial of education and £500 for denial of housing.

We know what must be done to achieve justice for the victims of the Windrush scandal. As a minimum, an independent compensation scheme with awards that actually reflect the cruelty that was inflicted on people must be introduced. Sadly, this won’t happen under a government that has no interest in achieving justice for the Windrush Generation.

Housing Crisis

Every week I see how desperately my constituents who suffer from overcrowding and terrible housing conditions need social housing. The Conservatives have continued to sell off social housing at record rates over the last 12 years and at the same time house building has fallen to record lows.  That’s why I asked the Minister for Housing on Monday why only 7,000 social housing was built in England last year, while there are over 4,000 families on the waiting list in Enfield alone.

The Minister completely ignored my question because the Government didn’t have an answer. The housing crisis exists because for decades property developers have been able to control housing in this country. That has meant that the priority has been boosting profits and house prices, rather than delivering safe and affordable homes. Those priorities need to change if we are to ever solve the Housing Crisis.

I welcome news that the Met have been put on Special Measures

It is welcome news that the Met Police have been put into special measures. This is an important recognition that there are long-term systemic issues that run throughout the force. For too long the Met have been tasked with sorting their own house out, but they have failed. Instead of addressing concerns around racism and sexual abuse they have consistently sought to cover up their worst crimes and wage a PR campaign against anybody who criticises them. Hopefully, this decision marks a turning point and the Met will stop thinking of themselves as the ‘biggest gang in London’.

As the Tory Government tries to blame the Mayor for this fact, it’s important that we put the situation in context. For years the Tories have cut policing budgets to the bone and as result crime rates have risen across the country. Now we can see that approach has had consequences. One in seven police forces across the country are in special measures under Priti Patel’s watch and things appear to be getting worse, not better.

Ultimately, changing the way we police in this country, towards a community-based approach that works with locals and not against them, means a change in central Government. But in London, we must begin the work of reforming the Met now. That may be a long process but it is one that is well overdue.

Fall in street homelessness in Enfield

Numbers published this week show that Enfield recorded the second-biggest drop in rough sleeping across London with a 44% decline. A total of 8,329 people were seen sleeping rough in London, from April 2021 to April 2022. That’s down from 11,018 the previous year.

This is welcome news and can be seen as an indication that the ‘in for good’ approach taken by Labour Councils and the Labour Mayor London is working. But rough sleeping is unfortunately just the tip of the homelessness iceberg, with millions living in temporary, unsafe or unsuitable accommodation. The root cause of homelessness is a lack of housing. There is no getting around that and with the cost-of-living crisis only getting worse it’s now essential the Government steps up and gives London the resources it needs to take a housing-first approach to solving homelessness.

——————————-

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest update, if you have any issues that you would like to raise directly with me then please do email  edmontonconstituency@parliament.uk. I’m always happy to help whenever possible.

Kind regards,

Kate Osamor MP