Police leaders in Merseyside and Lancashire have provided updates on two criminal investigations that have engulfed Liverpool City Council in recent years.
Earlier this month, opposition leaders in Liverpool and Lancashire wrote to their respective force's police chief constables, urging for them to 'speed up' the two investigations.
The two investigations are Operation Sheridan and Aloft - and both have highly significant links to Liverpool Council.
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Operation Sheridan, led by Lancashire Police, is an investigation into alleged financial impropriety at the One Connect joint venture between BT and Lancashire County Council.
In May 2017 police raided the homes of former Liverpool IT partnership Liverpool Direct (LDL) boss David McElhinney, then Liverpool Council chief executive Ged Fitzgerald, then Lancashire Council leader Geoffrey Driver, and former Lancashire County Council chief executive and ex-Liverpool Council finance chief Philip Halsall.
The four men were arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and witness intimidation.
No-one has been charged in connection with the investigation so far and all have denied wrongdoing.
The Lancashire force handed over its investigation dossier to the Crown Prosecution Service in August 2018, with no further updates on the case since that point.
Now the Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, Chris Rowley, has responded to the letter - which came from Cllrs Richard Kemp and John Potter, the Lib Dem leaders in Liverpool and Preston.
Chief Constable Rowley said: "I do understand the challenging position that you and your respective councils are in and the impact that the timescales of decision making will be having on individuals, organisations and interested parties to this investigation.
"I can personally assure you that Lancashire Constabulary, together with Merseyside Police are working closely with Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) colleagues to bring this matter to a conclusion.
"As you are aware this is an extremely complex investigation, a file of evidence was provided to the CPS in August 2018 and a decision as to whether the material presented meets the requirements of the full code test under the Crown Prosecutors Code remains outstanding.
"You will appreciate that due to sensitivity of an ongoing investigation I am unable to provide any specific information on this case, however I have spoken to Assistant Chief Constable Jo Edwards who has responsibility for Operation Sheridan, and I am assured that the appropriate levels of scrutiny are in place."
While Operation Sheridan has some links to Liverpool, Operation Aloft is significantly focused on the city and its council.
Led by Merseyside Police, Aloft is an investigation into building and development contracts in the city and has led to a number of arrests of figures linked to Liverpool Council.
These figures include former Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and his son David, who were arrested in December 2020 and the council's former Regeneration Director Nick Kavanagh who was detained a year before that.
All have denied wrongdoing and as with Sheridan, there have been no charges to this date.
Merseyside Police's Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, has now also responded to the councillor's calls for action over Operation Aloft.
In her response, Chief Constable Kennedy said: "Thank you for your letter, we recognise the importance of this and I am grateful to you for raising your concerns.
"I have a Chief Officer who is the Gold Commander overseeing the investigation."
She added: "I am satisfied there is ongoing scrutiny of the investigation and that we have early engagement with other partners within the criminal justice system to ensure that we can conduct this investigation as expeditiously as possible."
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