EXCLUSIVE: Peter Brock announces resignation from Yeovil Town Council

ASHAMED Peter Brock has today (Thursday, April 24, 2014) announced that he is to stand down as a councillor on Yeovil Town Council following his much-publicised court case in which he pleaded guilty to stealing £1,200 from the Royal British Legion.

Mr Brock will this evening deliver his letter of resignation to the council’s offices in Yeovil town centre.

Mr Brock, who met with the Yeovil Press this lunchtime, said in a statement: “There have been various calls from people, most urging me to resign my position on Yeovil Town Council, and some urging me to stay because of the good work I have done.

“After giving the matter careful consideration, listening to both sides and getting advice from my solicitor, I have made my decision.

“I will be resigning my position as a West Ward councillor on Yeovil Town Council as from April 28, 2014.”

There had been widespread condemnation of Mr Brock for his crime which saw him last month given a 12-month community order to do 150 hours’ unpaid work for three counts of theft. A further 20 offences were taken into consideration by magistrates.

He was ordered to repay the £1,231 he had stolen and pay £85 in court costs.

In recent weeks there had been growing calls for him to resign from the town council – after it emerged the authority was unable to expel him because his sentence was “insufficient.”

But a campaign led by local press, some local councillors and social media outlets for Mr Brock to stand down has today reached its inevitable conclusion.

Mr Brock said: “The thefts occurred during a difficult period in my life and I am deeply ashamed to find myself facing an uncertain future because of my actions.”

PHOTO - TOP: Peter Brock.

PHOTO - RIGHT: Peter Brock with his letter of resignation which will be delivered to Yeovil Town Council this evening.

He told the Yeovil Press he had been involved with the Royal British Legion in various ways for over 25 years and helped to raise thousands of pounds for the annual Poppy Appeal.

“During my time as chairman of the Yeovil branch, I also ran events to commemorate Armed Forces Day and also held an event each year to launch the Poppy Appeal in Yeovil town centre, which included organising an air drop of poppies from a historic Swordfish aircraft in 2010,” he said.

Mr Brock said the branch also won various awards including “best branch in Somerset” and helped to raise the Yeovil Poppy Appeal total from £9,000 to more than £21,000 during his time as chairman.

“I am as a result very proud of the good work I have done with the help of my fellow branch members and the support the charity has received from the residents of Yeovil,” he said.

Mr Brock said that during his time on the town council he had been able to help residents with various problems including “noisy neighbours and helping a mother successfully appeal against the choice of school allocated to her son.”

“I am proud to have been a useful member of the town council and I am very sorry for any hurt or embarrassment my actions may have caused,” he said.

He has asked residents to continue to support the various military charities in their work – including the Armed Forces Day event in Yeovil town centre on June 28 in aid of SSAFA – and also the town council in all the “good work they have done for our town – past, present and also the future.”

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