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To: Jake Berry M.P

Funding for New Ferry gas explosion

Reconsider government funds for the victims of the New Ferry, Wirral gas explosion

Why is this important?

Jake Berry MP (Tory minister for the so-called Northern "Powerhouse") has advised cash strapped Wirral Council to use its own resources and reserves to help victims of the huge explosion that tore through the centre of New Ferry, Wirral earlier this year. 33 people were injured 2 seriously, many businesses were destroyed, a further dozen shops and services put out of action and 30 families displaced from their homes. With so much of the town centre destroyed, shoppers have stopped going to New Ferry and the surviving businesses are suffering from loss of trade and facing financial ruin. Insurance companies have been very slow to act and indeed reluctant to pay out (with nobody having yet been found guilty of causing the explosion), leaving residents and businesses without sufficient financial support with which to rebuild their lives. Many people are not only suffering financially, but also emotionally with depression and the equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The government has shockingly refused to call the explosion a NATIONAL INCIDENT, what on earth does constitute a "national incident" then ?

Despite pleas for funding assistance from local MPs, businesses and residents, the government has turned its back on this devastated community, citing rules and regulations for not offering any disaster relief funding to help those affected. New Ferry, Wirral - a deprived community in a Labour controlled authority - is being treated entirely differently to other communities in the UK that have faced similar, and seemingly less significant, disasters.

Jake Berry's refusal of assistance is an absolute disgrace and makes a mockery of the title Northern Powerhouse. New Ferry should be treated the same as other communities that have recently suffered (as should every community in the country should a similar disaster befall them), and the rebuilding of its centre should be funded by the British government A.S.A.P

If you agree that New Ferry (and every other community in the country affected by such an economically damaging disaster) should be treated fairly and given government support, please, please sign this petition, thank you

How it will be delivered

On line and paper petitions

New Ferry, Birkenhead, Wirral

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Updates

2017-09-13 18:28:55 +0100

Now we might be getting somewhere ! πŸ‘πŸ‘Œ

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu during a recent visit to Wirral included a visit to New Ferry last Friday and gave his very welcome pledge to urge the government to provide much needed funding assistance for New Ferry !
http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/15525002.GALLERY__Archbishop_of_York_to_call_for_Government_aid_for_victims_of_New_Ferry_explosion/

2017-09-05 09:25:50 +0100

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/04/philip-hammond-pressed-on-rail-plans-during-northern-visit

*Interestingly the £30BILLION CROSSRAIL project is starting in Epsom - the constituency of TRANSPORT MINISTER Chris Grayling 😠

2017-08-30 08:01:45 +0100

Demolition work now starting at New Ferry but these are the pictures that P.M May didn't, wouldn't but SHOULD have come to see !😠
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/new-ferry-explosion-scene-theresa-13242846

2017-08-28 19:14:41 +0100

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/artist-banksy-paid-visit-new-13541986#ICID=Android_EchoNewsApp_AppShare

2017-08-24 17:59:40 +0100

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/steve-rotheram-new-ferry-gas-blast-has-become-a-forgotten-disaster_uk_59789622e4b0a8a40e842528

2017-08-08 07:33:05 +0100

1016 signatures now πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

Liverpool Region Mayor Steve Rotheram urges Mrs May to visit "forgotten site" BBC news

2017-08-07 19:51:43 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2017-08-03 20:00:14 +0100

The paper petition copies have now been passed on for non internet users to sign πŸ‘ look out for them at New Beginings NFπŸ‘ and other locations.
Nearly up to 1000 signatures now- well done all but keep up the good work even though some of your heads ARE and WILL be "done in" by the injustice of it all. KP
πŸ˜‘πŸ˜’πŸ˜ŸπŸ™πŸ‘

2017-08-02 22:56:56 +0100

I believe that a paper copy of petition is required for those who don't use the internet in order that they can sign, I will endeavour to sort that out tomorrow πŸ‘ 881 signatures to date hope to reach 1000 soon πŸ‘! KP

2017-08-02 06:59:01 +0100

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/15446222.Broadgreen_community_to_benefit_from___278k_grant_following_fatal_fire/

If Swindon in THE SOUTH can get government aid -why can't New Ferry in the North West ?
840 signatures now but a lot more needed !

2017-07-31 23:29:29 +0100

Pete Price on Radio City kindly just gave me some air time to discuss the disgusting lack of government funding issue and the petition itself ( which has just broke through to 800 signatures πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘) So hopefully this may attract more signatures. Cheers KP

2017-07-30 15:34:03 +0100

627 signatures to date,well done I think in the main helped by C.L.Power and New Ferry Online πŸ‘ There is still a long way to go to make the government sit up and take serious notice of what happened and not just give cheap lip service 😠😬
If everyone who has signed each got 20 of their own contacts to sign, the petition would be well over the governments requirement of 10000 signatures on their portal to respond. If any of you use facebook, twitter etc please include the link when messaging, also if any of you belong to clubs, organisations, churches, trade unions, political parties etc if you could get fellow members to sign this would also swell the numbersπŸ‘Cheers KP

2017-07-29 23:03:38 +0100

500 signatures reached

2017-07-29 10:42:08 +0100

100 signatures reached

2017-07-29 10:23:56 +0100

50 signatures reached