WBC Councillor Janette Williamson, also Cabinet Member Finance and Resources & Deputy Leader of the Labour Group, remarks publicly on Cllr Jo Bird's facebook post that Wirral Borough Council cabinet plan to discuss privately on how to use the £200,000 hardship fund.
It was actually Cllr Janette Williamson who first announced the fund in December 2018, stating that it was specifically to assist the victims of the explosion. So for her to state to Cllr Jo Bird so publicly that the money would now be used for regeneration projects is shocking, and also devastating for those victims in need for whom the financial assistance is essential.
This public u-turn also follows the council's refusal to meet with victims prior to their deciding how to spend the £200k they had "inherited" from the previous council. It also follows similar comments only last week from the press officer of WBC in another public facebook discussion. Whilst the press officer was using a pseudonym at the time, during the discussion and once questioned about his identity, he admitted that he was indeed the press officer for WBC.
All of this has left the victims, who thought they would finally be getting some financial help from the council, very angry indeed.