Former North Lanarkshire Council leader Jordan Linden charged in connection with alleged sex offences

The former leader of a Scottish council has been arrested and charged in connection with alleged sexual offences.

Jordan Linden, former member of the SNP and leader of North Lanarkshire Council until July 2022, was arrested and charged in connection with a number of alleged sexual offences on Wednesday.

Police Scotland confirmed the offences were “non-recent” and were committed at various locations.

A spokesperson said: “A 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a number of non-recent sexual offences committed at various locations in Scotland.

“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

Mr Linden left the council in March last year and is no longer a party member.

His resignation led to the downfall of the minority SNP administration, with the Labour Party later taking over control of the local authority.

An SNP spokesperson said: “While we cannot comment on live proceedings, if any SNP members are impacted by this then we want to make clear that we are here to support them as best we can.”