00:00The alleged council corruption trial of ex-Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, and former politician Derek Hatton has been put back by six months.
00:09The pair, along with others, were due to stand trial in October next year, but at a hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Friday,
00:16Judge Paul Lawton ordered the trial to now go ahead on the 5th of April 2027.
00:21Anderson, 67, who was the city's elected mayor from 2012 to 2021, is charged with bribery, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.
00:35The defendants were charged as part of Operation Aloft, launched by Mayor's side police, to look into the awarding of commercial and business contracts from the council between 2010 and 2020.
00:46Anderson's also accused of conspiring with his son, David Anderson, 37, and the council's former Assistant Director of Highways and Planning, Andrew Barr, 51,
00:57to arrange special access to a manor to benefit David Anderson and his company, SSC.
01:03David Anderson of Wavertree, Liverpool's accused of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.
01:10Bar of Ainsdale, Merseyside, is accused of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and account of bribery.
01:18Hatton of Egbeth, Liverpool, who was deputy council leader and part of Labour's militant faction in the 1980s, is accused of offering a bribe.
01:28The 77-year-old is also charged with counselling or procuring misconduct in a public office.
01:34All defendants are on bail ahead of their trial in 2027, estimated to last up to 15 weeks at Preston Crown Court.
