26/03/2024

VENTO BANDS: DISCRIMINATION CASES

As many of you may already know, if a Claimant is successful in their claim of discrimination, the tribunal will make a financial award based on the ‘injury to feelings’ for the ‘hurt, upset and humiliation’ caused by the discriminatory act. These awards are called ‘Vento awards’, appropriately named after the case of  Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police (No 2) [2003] IRLR 102, which set clear guidelines for the amount of compensation to be given for injured feelings and set out three bands of potential awards

Each year these these are increased in line with Retail Price Index (RPI).

On 25 March 2024, the President for Employment Tribunals in England and Wales issued Seventh Addendum to Presidential Guidance originally issued on 5 September 2017 for the revised Vento bands to apply to cases lodged on or after 6 April 2024 which are:

• Lower Band of £1,200 to £11,700 (up from a ceiling of £11,200) – less serious cases;
• Middle Band of £11,700 to £35,200 (up from a ceiling of £33,700) – for cases that do not merit an award in the upper band);
• Upper Band of £35,200 to £58,700 (up from a ceiling of £56,200) – for the most serious cases, with the most exceptional cases capable of exceeding £58,700.

Whilst this is Presidential Guidance for England and Wales only, it tends to be followed in Northern Ireland by our Tribunals.

Link to full Article:- Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police (No 2) [2003] IRLR 102,