Home Office announces independent review into Riot Damages Act

The Home Office has appointed Neil Kinghan to conduct an independent review of the Riot Damages Act.

The review of the legislation, which dates back to 1886, will examine how a riot should be defined, who should be liable for compensation, and what level of compensation is suitable.

The review will be completed by the end of September. The Home Office will then hold a public consultation on options Kinghan identifies before any change is made to the legislation.

Policing and criminal justice minister Damian Green said: “The aftermath of the 2011 riots showed the need for improvements to speed up the payment of compensation to those who need it and weed out frivolous claims.

“This independent review will consider how best to reform the act so it protects the most vulnerable and provides value for money to the taxpayer.”

Kinghan, a former senior civil servant, conducted a review for Wandsworth Council about the response by the police and the local authority to the riots.

ABI head of property Aidan Kerr welcomed the review. “The Riot Damages Act provides important compensation to the uninsured. However the riots of 2011 highlighted the century-old act needs to be reformed for the modern day. Those claiming under the act faced an overly bureaucratic process,” he said.

The ABI has long called for the act to be reviewed. It wants to see a standard definition of a riot accepted by all police authorities, a streamlined and standardised claims process for policy authorities, and an extension of the claims period from 14 to 90 days.

Nearly two years after the riots, 2% of uninsured claims have not been settled, and 9% of payments to insurance companies from police and crime commissioners are outstanding.

Discussions led by the Home Office about reforming the act stalled after the department received a range of contractitory views from the police and insurance industry.