After 22 people were killed in a bombing at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May, We Love Manchester, a public charity, started accepting donations for the victims and their families. The families of those who died are set to receive $324,000 dollars from the fund, with smaller amounts going to those who were injured in the attack.
The fund is expected to reach about $22 million, and families of the dead have already started receiving payments, with the balance expected to be disbursed within the next few weeks. Sue Murphy, the administrator of the fund, assured people receiving payments that their benefits from similar government programs would not be affected and that “virtually all” those eligible for the Manchester fund had accepted payments.
Murphy has run into one problem with the actual administration of the fund, which the government has not pledged to pay for even though a similar fund for victims of the 2005 London bombings was covered by the government. If the government doesn’t step up, around 5% of the We Love Manchester money would go to administrative costs.
“We remain frustrated that the government has not yet agreed to fund the administration costs. We believe that the members of the public who generously donated to the We Love Manchester appeal want to see their money to directly to the victims,” .
Murphy said that a separate fund is being established to build a permanent memorial to the victims.
The payments are so far larger and have been sent out faster than the payments to victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London that killed 80.
(Via The Guardian)