Grenfell fire victims to receive £42m in direct payments and welfare support by 2028

Victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy will receive £42 million in direct payments and welfare support by 2028, council documents show. Kensington and Chelsea Council’s leadership team will vote on Wednesday 5 June whether to approve the final model of the Future Grenfell Support package, which will provide financial help and services to survivors and the immediate community around Grenfell Tower.

The funds, which will come from council and government coffers, will go towards providing survivors and bereaved with annual payments of £7,000 and a key worker. Around £10 million has been allocated to provide free gym memberships, discounted rest breaks and support support to residents within 500 meters of the Tower at the time of the fire.

A further £14m will go towards education and training for victims and the local community. Kensington and Chelsea Council concluded months of consultation on a new compensation model in May, winning broad support from the community, survey results suggest.

READ MORE: New social housing a stone’s throw from Grenfell Tower to open this summer with ‘winter gardens’

Figures released by the council show that 68% of respondents said the opt-in/opt-out option for a key worker gave them choice and control. Some 53 pieces felt positively represented in the model, and 18 pieces feel good about most aspects of it.

Another 46 pieces felt comfortable with the final version, while 24 pieces said they felt good about most of it. About 30 pieces said they were somewhat uncomfortable.

The council said people who accepted lower personal payments were more likely to be unhappy with the model. It is understood that former residents of Grenfell Tower who were not there on the night and residents of Grenfell Walk will face a reduction in payments.

Under the plans, survivors and bereaved can receive a lump sum payment or receive annual withdrawals of between £1,500 and £8,000, depending on whether they opt for a key worker. They will also have an annual review and be able to leave or return to receive support from a key worker.

Around 200 households each year will also be eligible for discounted respite breaks, while adults and children living within 500 meters of the Tower could get free membership at either Kensington Leisure Center or at Westway Sports Centre. The money will also be given to advocacy teams to help people with housing and health problems and for community work.

A council report said: “This £42m of additional support is restoratively structured and therefore aims to address current issues and help with future needs. It’s an opportunity to take stock, consider what happened in the past and provide improved support that will hopefully help people progress and move forward on their journey.

“We recognize the ongoing needs and trauma of all who are eligible for this additional support, and we recognize the emotional difficulties involved in the financial parts of this process.”

If approved, the Future Grenfell Support program will come into effect in September and will replace the support service, known as the Dedicated Service, that currently exists. The council has held three rounds of consultations since summer 2023 and heard from more than 3,000 people.

Funding will be provided by Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Government under the Global Settlement Agreement. The council will provide £12 million, which will be funded through loans, while the government will provide funding through grants.

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