Former Liverpool mayor charged with bribery

Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson and city politician Derek Hatton have been charged with bribery and misconduct relating to council contracts, along with 10 others, police have said.

The charges come after a Merseyside Police probe, Operation Aloft, focused on a number of property developers.

Mr Anderson and Mr Hatton were first arrested in 2020 as part of an investigation into the awarding of building contracts.

Following his arrest, Mr Anderson said he would "continue to fight to demonstrate that I am innocent of any wrongdoing".

Those charged are:

• Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson, 67, of Knotty Ash, charged with with one count of bribery, one count of misconduct in a public office and one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office
• Derek Hatton, 77, of Aigburth, charged with one count of bribery and one count of counsel or procure misconduct in a public office
• Former Liverpool City Council director Nicholas Kavanagh, 56, of Mossley Hill, charged with two counts of bribery
• Former Assistant Director at Liverpool City Council, Andrew Barr, 51, of Ainsdale, charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and one count of bribery
• David Anderson, 37, of Wavertree, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office
• Phillipa Cook, 49, of Mossley Hill, charged with two counts of bribery
• Alex Croft, 29, of Aughton, Lancashire, charged with one count of bribery
• Julian Flanagan, 53, of Crosby charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery
• Paul Flanagan, 61, of Knowsley Village, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery
• Sonjia Hatton, 49, of Aigburth, charged with one count of misconduct in a public office
• Adam McLean, 54, of Woolton, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery
• James Shalliker, 38, of Downholland, Lancashire, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery