Council leader cleared of lying about address

Russell Bowden was accused of an electoral fraud offence

A council leader has been cleared of making a false statement in his nomination papers after accusations that he had used his estranged wife's address to appear a more "local man".

Russell Bowden, 53, the Labour leader of Warrington Borough Council, had listed his home address as a property in Birchwood ahead of the 2021 local elections.

However he had been living in a flat in Bewsey, in another council ward, since 2019, a jury heard.

Mr Bowden said he had moved out of the Birchwood home due to problems in his marriage and had always planned to return.

Opening the case last week, Sarah Griffin, prosecuting, said Mr Bowden had broken laws which "underpin our very democracy" and had used the Birchwood address to gain a political advantage because electors would consider him to be a "local man" living in the ward.

The father-of-one, who had been a councillor since 2010, kept his seat in the 2021 election but an investigation was later launched following concerns about whether the address he used was his current home, the trial heard.

The jury was told his car was registered to the Bewsey address and he was paying council tax there, while his wife was claiming a single person discount on council tax in Birchwood.

A letter sent to Mr Bowden by police in July 2020 was returned with the note "RTS not at this address", the court heard.

Mr Bowden, who became council leader in 2019, told the court he had moved out to "create space" in his relationship with his wife Beverley.

He said he expected to return to the Birchwood address and remained on the electoral register there.

The court heard Mr Bowden had moved back in earlier this year, shortly before his trial was due to start.

He told the jury it was "ludicrous" to claim he had used the address to try to gain a political advantage.

'Political motivations'

Mr Bowden said: "I had lived in Birchwood for 25 years by that point.

"I'm very well known, I have represented people through my work as councillor for more than a decade and I was a local man."

He was cleared by jury at Liverpool Crown Court.

Speaking outside court, Mr Bowden criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for taking the case to court.

"I have always maintained my innocence and today's unanimous verdict by the jury demonstrates the truth of what I've been saying should never have been doubted," he said.

"Sadly, there are those whose political motivations have led them to try and exploit this case in order to cast doubt on me as a person, attempting to undermine my leadership of Warrington Borough Council and our Labour-led council itself, regardless of the reputational damage and negative perception it causes to our town.

"The idea that my permanent home address would suddenly change because I moved out temporarily was and will remain entirely misconceived."