Councillor resigns after remarks to undercover reporters on planning system

A councillor at the centre of a storm over remarks he made to undercover reporters working for the Daily Telegraph about the planning system has resigned.

East Devon District Council said that Graham Brown, who represented the Feniton and Buckerell Ward, resigned yesterday (13 March) with immediate effect. However, he maintained that he had not broken the law.

The local authority had earlier in the day referred the matter to the police under the Bribery Act 2010 and its own policy on fraud, theft and anti-corruption.

East Devon considered that Brown’s comments warranted further investigation by the police.

Mark Williams, chief executive of the local authority, said: “Although Graham Brown has not been a member of our planning committee, his comments still raised serious issues and we have responded to them quickly, firmly and fairly.

“Given our earlier referral of the issue to the police I do not wish to comment any further at this stage, other than to reassure the public that we will cooperate fully and openly if the police decide to investigate.”

Williams added that the council was continuing to assess the situation pending a response from the police, and any possible investigation under the Councillor Code of Conduct would be on hold until it had that response.

Cllr Brown had told the journalists that he had access to “all the right people for the right clients”.

According to the Daily Telegraph, he also said: “[I] don’t come cheap. I mean, there are jobs that I do for £1,000, and there are jobs that I do for £20,000 … if I turn a greenfield into a housing estate and I’m earning the developer two or three million, then I ain’t doing it for peanuts.”

In a statement Cllr Brown said: “It is with great regret that I have decided today to step down and resign my position as an East Devon District Councillor due to the unbearable media pressure from the Daily Telegraph.

“I wish to announce a full apology to my councillor colleagues across the whole political spectrum at East Devon and to the East Devon District Council officers for my disparaging remarks.”

Cllr Brown added: “I would like to add that I stand by the fact that although I thoroughly misjudged the situation, I remain firm in the knowledge that I have not broken the law and will work to clear my name of any wrongdoing.”