11 July 2017 Issue No: 15 Grenfell Fire Response News Public meeting at St Clement’s Church The next community public meeting will take place on Wednesday 12 July from 6pm to 7.30pm at St Clement’s Church, Treadgold Street, London, W11 4BP. This follows on from the meeting that took place at the Al Manaar, Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre last Wednesday. The session will be led by the London Resilience Group and will aim to provide: • an update from Response team representatives • a face-to-face question and answer session • guidance on information and support available Meetings are open to the public, so please do come along or invite people from the Lancaster West estate who you think would like to attend. If you are unable to make this meeting, upcoming newsletters will provide updates on the timing and location of future meetings. If you have suggestions of any issues you would like to see addressed in future meetings, please contact communityengagement@ grenfellresponse.org Over 100 people attend Grenfell Muslim Response Unit event Over 100 people attended an event for residents on Saturday afternoon at the Westway Assistance Centre, organised by the Grenfell Muslim Response Unit (GRMU). The event was a chance for residents from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk to get information on housing and finance, and saw a number people attend the Assistance Centre for the first time. One of the aims was to increase awareness of the London Emergencies Trust funding, the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund grant and the London Fire Relief Fund from the British Red Cross. British Red Cross volunteers supported the GRMU on Saturday, providing advice and support on completing paperwork and making applications. Zain Miah, co-ordinator for the GRMU, said: “We want to thank all the survivors who attended and met with us on Saturday. I know for some it was difficult and there was a wait to be seen. We needed to ensure there were processes in place to protect the rights of survivors. We met with over 100 people on the day and we had some amazing feedback.” IN THIS EDITION 1 Next public meeting 1 Grenfell Muslim Response Unit event 2 Justice Secretary inquiry update 2 Tower movement monitoring 2 Met Police update 3 Support for businesses 3 Befriending support for families 4 New Home Office scheme to support residents 4 London Emergencies Trust funding 4 Access to financial assistance 4 FAQs What is this newsletter for? This is the fifteenth edition of the Grenfell Fire Response Team newsletter. We want to keep you up to date with all the latest information and services available to help. The newsletter is also available in Arabic and Farsi languages. For up to the minute info, please follow us on Twitter @grenfellsupport and on Facebook at facebook. com/grenfellsupport or visit www.gov.uk Grenfell Fire Response News 11 July 2017 Justice Secretary says inquiry will reach “full truth” about Grenfell The Justice Secretary, David Lidington, has stressed that the Grenfell Tower inquiry will get to the “full truth” about the fire. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr Lidington said: “I’m very confident we will get some terms of reference that will get to the truth, not just in terms of what happened on that particular day but what the regulatory decisions and the responsibilities that led up to that were.” The inquiry is being led by retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick. The job of the inquiry is to examine the causes of the fire and why it was able to spread so quickly while a separate police investigation is investigating whether criminal charges should follow. Mr Lidington said Sir Martin was “very, very determined” to establish the facts about the fire. The terms of reference for the inquiry are due to be finalised by Thursday 20 July. As soon as these terms have been agreed, the inquiry will begin taking evidence. Anyone with information can email their views to contact@grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk Please visit the official inquiry website for further information at www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk Tower movement carefully monitored Grenfell Tower is being continuously monitored for any signs of structural movement, to ensure the safety of everyone living and working nearby, as well as those working in the tower itself. It is important to stress there is no risk to the general public, but some movement in the building is expected as it contracts following the intense heat of the fire. A threshold of five millimetres movement in any direction has been agreed with the Health and Safety Executive and engineers. Sensors are in place across the building, mainly on the upper floors, and these will alert staff on site should the building move more than five millimetres in any direction. There is now an on-site alarm system attached to the core of the building which will alert people within the tower should the threshold of movement be breached. Met Police update Over the weekend, the Metropolitan Police deployed a multilingual, multidisciplinary team throughout the area affected by Grenfell Tower and Walk to meet with and provide reassure to local residents. This is the third weekend that cadets, along with volunteer police officers and staff, have been active in assisting the community. What help is on offer? Any family and friends concerned about their loved ones are asked to contact the Metropolitan Police on 0800 032 4539. Other important contacts Bereavement support: Call the Freephone helpline on 0808 808 1677 or email helpline@cruse. org.uk. The line is open 24 hours a day. Replacement UK passports, visas or immigration queries Call our advice line on 0300 222 0000. The line is open 24 hours. Air quality and smoke exposure: If you have concerns about any symptoms, please see your doctor or call NHS 111. NHS Mental health support: Call 0800 0234 650 or email cnw-tr.spa@nhs.net for mental health support. The line is open 24 hours a day. Victim support: Call 0808 1689 111 for practical and emotional support, or visit victimsupport. org.uk. The line is open 24 hours a day. You can also get physical and mental support at the Assistance Centre, Westway Sports & Fitness Centre, Crowthorne Road, W10 6RR open from 10am to 8pm. Find out more by calling 07712 231 133. You can also call the Red Cross helpline on 0800 458 9472. The line is open from 8am to 8pm. For regular updates please follow us on Twitter at @grenfellsupport and on Facebook at facebook.com/ grenfellsupport, or visit www.gov.uk 2 Grenfell Fire Response News 11 July 2017 Support for businesses affected by the fire A partnership between the Greater London Authority, Kensington and Chelsea council and Portobello Business Centre is working to support businesses that were affected by the Grenfell fire. Business rates For businesses that had no or restricted access to their premises over an extended period following the fire (including Baseline Studios, Silchester Road and Blechynden Street rail arches), there will be no business rates to pay from 14 June to 31 December 2017. Any arrears prior to 14 June 2017 will be written off. Businesses that have seen a reduction in trade since the fire can apply to Kensington and Chelsea council for hardship relief. Each application will be considered individually, and the application form can be found online. For any queries regarding the application form, please contact the Council’s Policy and Control Team on 020 7361 3276 or email ltclient@rbkc.gov.uk Business continuity fund A business continuity fund has been created to support businesses affected by the fire. This fund includes £50,000 provided by Kensington and Chelsea council and the Mayor of London’s financial support for businesses affected by the recent terrorist attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire of £300,000. Businesses will be able to apply for financial support to assist with: • the costs of business support advice to help businesses get back on their feet • direct grants to businesses whose turnover has been impacted by the disaster if they are not covered by insurance • bridge funding to businesses who are covered by insurance but who are experiencing delays in receiving payments - with the expectation that once the insurance has paid out that the funding will be recovered The response fund for Grenfell businesses will be delivered through Portobello Business Centre (PBC) and the details of the fund’s operation are being developed by the GLA RBKC and PBC. Businesses that have been affected should register their details with Portobello Business Centre. For more information and independent business advice, please contact the Portobello Business Centre on 020 7460 5050 or email info@pbc.co.uk Befriending support for families from Family Friends Local charity, Family Friends, has launched a special programme for families affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The free programme will give extra support to families this summer. Linder the scheme, Family Friends will provide a reliable, trained and supervised volunteer who will provide practical and emotional support in the family’s home or place of residence for two or four hours a week for a period of up to three months. Child Mentoring A Child Mentoring scheme has just been set up to give children aged 5 to 16 the chance to have fun and receive support from a mentor in a programme that can be tailored to their specific needs. This will include day trips, academic support and one-to-one emotional support. Volunteers will also be able to provide direct support to parents if needed, and help direct them to available support services. Parent Befriending The Parent Befriending programme provides support for parents of a young people up to 16 years old. Volunteers will provide parents with support around relocation, paperwork, applications for grants or accessing resources. Volunteers will also be able to provide support around parenting, such as accompanying families on outings outside of the local area. For more information about the support available from Family Friends, you can go online, call 020 8960 9099, or email info@familyfriends.uk.com Community newsletters delivered to hotels Printed copies of the Grenfell Fire Response News Community newsletter are being delivered to the hotels where residents who lost their homes are being temporarily located. The newsletters are available in English, Arabic and Farsi. All previous newsletters are also available online at grenfellresponse.org.uk/ newsletter-archive 3 Grenfell Fire Response News Frequently asked questions Will victims have to pay for outstanding utility bills? The Government and utility companies have announced a package of support for Grenfell victims across energy, water and telecommunications. This includes suppliers agreeing to write off outstanding utility bills for victims of the fire, and the support comes on top of the £5 million fund to pay for emergency supplies, food, clothes and other costs. Further details can be found online at https://goo.gl/ yhcniU How can people find their post? Mail for Grenfell Tower can be collected from Royal Mail’s West London Delivery Office, Unit 20-23, West London Delivery Office, Premier Park Road, NW10 7NZ (open Mon to Fri 8am to 2pm and Sat 8am to 1pm). Mail collection is also available by prior arrangement on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from the Royal Mail desk at the Westway Sports Centre. Please call 01752 387055 to make a mail collection arrangement. ID is required to collect you mail. Will my eligibility for benefits be affected if I receive the £5,500? The Department for Work and Pensions have said that your income-related benefits won’t be affected by payments from the fund. Other benefits, such as Personal Independence Payments, won’t be affected either and any payments from the emergency fund will not be taxed. For all other contacts, please consult our leaflet. New Home Office scheme to support Grenfell Tower residents If you are here illegally, do not have an outstanding asylum claim or your stay in the UK is about to end, the Home Office has launched a new scheme to allow you to stay in the UK for up to 12 months. We will make sure that you will be able to access the services you need, including accommodation and healthcare, and won’t use this tragedy as a reason to carry out immigration checks. To access the new scheme, you do not need to submit an application but you need to come and talk to us in person. You will need to bring any evidence you have to show you lived at Grenfell Tower on the date of the fire or close to it. If you have lost your evidence in the fire, we can still help you. You can speak face-to-face about the new scheme to our specialist Home Office team at the Westway Sports and Fitness Centre, Crowthorne Road, W10 6RP from 10am to 8pm. You are welcome to bring someone with you to help and translators are available if needed. To learn more about the scheme, call our helpline on 0300 222 0000 to arrange for a call back by our specialist visa and passport teams. The line is open 24 hours a day. 11 July 2017 London Emergencies Trust - funding from public donations The next of kin for each of those who tragically lost their lives in the Grenfell fire will receive an initial £20,000 from public donations. Those injured and hospitalised for seven days will receive an initial £10,000, and those injured and hospitalised for six hours or more an initial £3,500. London Emergencies Trust is distributing these funds on behalf of the British Red Cross, K&C Foundation and the London Community Fund/ Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund. This funding all comes from donations by the public. How to apply: Family Liaison Officers (FLO) who are attached to families affected will pass on and help fill in an application form. They can also call the British Red Cross helpline on 0800 458 9472 between 8am and 8pm. Access to financial assistance As of 12 midday on 10 July, the total amount of financial assistance provided to families is £3,900,000. This includes a £500 cash payment for those over 16 and £5,000 per household delivered through DWP into bank accounts or similar in a single payment, along with discretionary payments made by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. 119 families have accessed the £5,000 payment so far. Residents of Grenfell Tower and Walk who have not yet accessed either the £500 or £5000 fund and wish to can do so at the Westway Centre. 4