Reform councillors cleared of election overspend

(L-R) Rob Sheridan, Neil Stevens and Tony Stevens were cleared in the High Court

Two Reform councillors and their election agent have had their names cleared by a High Court judge after being reported for overspending on election expenses by a colleague.

Exeter councillors Neil Stevens, his brother Tony Stevens and their agent Rob Sheridan brought a civil case to the High Court in an attempt to protect their reputations as they face a police investigation.

Justice Martin Spencer said any mistakes made by Neil Stevens and Rob Sheridan had been in good faith and Tony Stevens had not breached any rules.

Devon and Cornwall Police are yet to comment on what impact the judgment might have on the criminal investigation.

Ed Hill reported his colleagues to the Electoral Commission and to police

The mistakes made in the declaration of election expenses related to confusion over issues such as who should pay for podcasts and a mistaken belief the cost of leaflets delivered before the campaign period started should have been included in the expenses return.

The court heard there had also been confusion over who the election agent was for the Stevens brothers.

They believed Mr Sheridan was their election agent but learned on 2 June - three days before the election expense returns were handed in - that Reform councillor Ed Hill was their agent.

At that point they appointed Mr Sheridan as their election agent and he submitted the election expense returns.

It was Mr Hill - who has since been expelled from the party over a separate matter - who reported the overspending on election expenses to the electoral commission and the police.

Justice Spencer said entering politics had been a "steep learning curve" for Neil Stevens.

He said: "I wholly accept Neil Stevens' explanation and his assertion that mistakes which he made arose out of errors on his part and mis-advice he was given by others he trusted and relied upon."

The judge said Mr Sheridan, originally from the US, also made mistakes which "did not involve any element of bad faith".

Regarding Tony Stevens, the judge said there "was no breach of the rules or the legislation in the first place".

In response to the judgement, Mr Hill, who was not present at the hearing but gave written evidence, said there was no confusion regarding who the Stevens brothers' election agent was and that he supplied the candidates with the relevant information regarding election expenses.

He said his actions were based purely on legal requirements and not due to any personal bad feeling as was claimed in court.

Devon and Cornwall Police is understood to be considering the judgement made at the High Court before making any decisions regarding the criminal investigation.