Cumbria electoral fraud accusations made to police
- Published
One candidate called the Eden District elections "nasty"
Accusations of electoral fraud have been made regarding Cumbria's recent local elections.
One of 12 formal complaints to police was made by a candidate standing for Eden District Council.
They alleged "false statements about candidates, third-party campaigning and election expenses".
The authority has declined to comment. Cumbria Police said the complaints concerned "minor infringements of electoral legislation".
The Eden candidate said the election had been "personal, nasty and dragged reputations through the mud", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
'Proportionate investigation'
Voters across Cumbria went to the polls on 2 May to choose councillors in Barrow, South Lakeland, Copeland, Allerdale, Carlisle and Eden.
Councils in Barrow, South Lakeland, Carlisle and Copeland said they had not referred any complaints to the police regarding their elections.
Allerdale Council has not yet responded to a request for confirmation.
Cumbria Police said it had conducted a "proportionate investigation" into the complaints in partnership with the Electoral Commission.
"At the moment, each case has been dealt with by way of advice and guidance, reflecting the nature of the infringements," a spokesperson said.