The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Kensington and Chelsea Council met on Monday 8 June 2026 to discuss the progress of the Grenfell Support Programme, review the committee's work programme for the upcoming year, and examine the council's forward plan of key decisions. The meeting also included a period of silence to commemorate the Grenfell tragedy.

Update on the Grenfell Support Programme (2024-2028)

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the delivery of the Grenfell Support Programme, which aims to provide ongoing assistance to those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. The report detailed progress made since November 2025 across three key areas: the Dedicated Service for bereaved and survivors, the Grenfell Community Support programme, and Education and Training Support.

The Dedicated Service offers bereaved individuals and survivors access to an annual personal budget and the option of a named support worker. The report indicated that as of April 2026, 798 individuals were eligible for and accessing this service. Personal budgets were being used for health and wellbeing, leisure activities, and housing, with high satisfaction rates reported by users. The report also noted that the service had continued to operate effectively despite the cyber-attack in November 2025, with business continuity plans in place to ensure payments and support continued with minimal disruption.

The Grenfell Community Support programme, launched in January 2025, includes wellbeing grants, free leisure centre memberships, and a community advocacy team. The report highlighted an increase in wellbeing grant applications and a rise in the usage of leisure centre memberships. The community advocacy team had provided direct support to 357 individuals, assisting with health, housing, and wellbeing issues. A pilot programme for community activities had also launched in May 2026. Challenges noted included delays in Year 2 grant payments due to the cyber-attack and concerns about the sustainability of the leisure centre membership offer due to increased costs.

The Education and Training Support programme, which opened its Education Hub in September 2025, had seen over 300 children and young people register for support. The programme offers direct support, professional engagement, and bursaries for educational and training goals. The report acknowledged that building trust with affected families takes time and that recruitment for certain roles, such as Speech and Language Therapists, had been challenging.

The committee was invited to review the progress, reach, and impact of these programmes, as well as consider key risks, issues, and lessons learned. Feedback from the Independent Scrutiny Function (ISF) was also to be discussed, along with the progress made in addressing their recommendations.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme 2026-27

The committee was scheduled to discuss the principles of effective scrutiny and work programme criteria to assist in developing the Annual Scrutiny Work Programme for 2026-27. The report outlined the services within the committee's terms of reference, including Grenfell Partnerships, Transformation, Digital, Data and Technology, Corporate Strategy, Communities and Culture, Community Safety, Resilience, the Resources Directorate, Customer Services, Communications, Public Affairs and the Mayoralty, and the Chief Executive's Office.

Key priorities for the upcoming year included continuing the delivery of the Grenfell support programme, overseeing recovery from the cyber-attack, and developing the new Council Plan. Opportunities for scrutiny involvement were identified across these areas. The report also noted that the committee would need to consider whether to resume a paused Zero-Based Budgeting pilot project and whether to invite the Borough Commander for the London Fire Brigade to a meeting. The full work programme was scheduled to be agreed at the committee's meeting on 8 July 2026.

The Forward Plan and Key Decision Tracker

The committee was presented with the Forward Plan of Key Decisions, which outlines upcoming executive decisions likely to have a significant impact on the council's budget or local communities. The report explained the definition of a key decision and the role of the Forward Plan in enabling pre-decision scrutiny. This process allows scrutiny councillors to review planned decisions before they are made, offering a critical friend perspective to influence outcomes.

The Forward Plan included a list of key decisions due to be made by the Leadership Team and individual Lead Members between May and October 2026. These decisions covered a wide range of council business, including procurement strategies for various services, housing improvement plans, community safety initiatives, and asset management. The committee was asked to review this plan and identify any decisions that warranted further scrutiny, either by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee or one of the select committees. The report also detailed the council's call-in procedure, which allows the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to request a decision made by the executive be revisited.