Rehousing vow made to Grenfell survivors

FORMER residents made homeless by the Grenfell Tower fire disaster have been offered assurances, including a promise to be permanently rehoused within 12 months, by Kensington and Chelsea Council.

In a lengthy document released on Friday, the council set out its aims to prioritise rehousing those who have been left bereaved, families with members who have a serious mental, physical or learning disability, as well as those needing “care and support or carer’s needs for support”.

The third level of priority housing will be given to households with dependent children.

If two families are on the same band of priority for rehousing, the council says preference will be given to those who lived in the tower for longest.

The local authority says it will rehouse anyone who “immediately before the fire” was living at Grenfell Tower or Grenfell Walk as their “main home”. This includes council introductory or secure tenants, resident leaseholders, subtenants or lodgers of leaseholders and tenants of non-resident leaseholders.

The document also tells residents that the council’s new Grenfell Rehousing Policy awards “the very highest priority for rehousing to permanent social housing”, which equates to 3,000 points on its social housing register.

The council reiterated that residents will not have to pay rent, service charges or core utility gas bills for a year. And after the initial year, even if families are rehoused to larger homes, they will not have to pay more rent than they were paying at Grenfell.

Residents were assured that the £5,000 received by each household, plus the £500 per person over 16 from the Government, and the £10,000 fresh start grant per household, will not affect legal aid or benefits.