A leading Liverpool businesswoman has said that she would like to work with former mayor Joe Anderson in the future.
Kate Stewart, who used to run Liverpool’s Heritage Market, is now behind a support centre for recovering drug addicts.
Mr Anderson, 63, stepped aside from the role of mayor after he was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation last December and did not stand for re-election in May. He has denied any wrongdoing.
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Vitality Homes, based at the former Cuffs Pound Pub, provides accommodation and support for individuals battling addiction.
The ECHO contacted Ms Stewart, who founded Vitality Homes, after information appeared on Companies House linking Mr Anderson to the company. He was named as a company director for one day on April 30.
Records at Companies House show that Mr Anderson was allotted 49 of the 100 issued shares in the company on April 30 2021. These shares were transferred to the other shareholder, Katherine Stewart, the following day.
Mr Anderson has said that he has not accepted any money from the company and there is no suggestion he has done anything wrong.
Ms Stewart, a mum-of-four, has said that Mr Anderson was named as a company director by mistake, but that she hoped to work with him in the future.
She said: “Vitality Homes is built on giving people a second chance and after leading our city, I offered Mr Anderson a job and a chance to work with people who are also working through hardships, should the charges be dropped against him. It was an administration error that Mr Anderson was briefly added to the company and he did not work with or for Vitality Homes at this time.”
Mr Anderson said he had not received any money from the company. He said to the ECHO: "The owner enquired if I would consider working with this organisation in the future. I agreed, but my name was listed as a director by mistake. I received no monies from this company.
"My background is in social work and I believe in reform of the prison service and rehabilitation of offenders. I hope to be able to work with Vitality Homes in this regard at some point in the future after I have cleared my name."
The plans to transform the former pub into a support centre attracted huge controversy at the time.
A meeting held to address people's concerns in November 2018 saw more than a hundred people packed into Wavertree Cricket Club .
One man told the ECHO he feared "you're going to have druggies robbing and making more crime for the area" while one woman told the applicants to "burn in hell".
As the application made its way through the planning process, the building was even vandalised by thugs who smashed windows and spray painted the word "no" on doors.
However Damien John Kelly House appears to have now overcome opposition from locals . Last year the owners said a review of the application saw no objections at all and even benefited from 30 letters of support from local residents.
Ms Stewart founded the project to help men who had already taken the decision to get clean and sober - but who were struggling or unsure how to begin rebuilding their lives.
Ms Stewart also owns The Sandon Complex in Anfield, home to the famous Sandon pub. Ms Stewart, recently founded an online female empowerment community named Sisterhood HQ.
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