Stalwart bows out after 40 loyal years

12:56pm Thursday 24th July 2008

After 40 years, Malmesbury's longest serving councillor Brian Denley has decided to stand down.

The former mayor of Malmesbury handed in his resignation last week because of poor health and hopes it will be an opportunity to see younger faces on the council.

Mr Denley, 74, joined the council in 1968 when he was landlord of The Borough Arms and got fed up of hearing people moan about the town.

"I used to get people coming in saying how terrible this, that and the other was so I thought right, I'll sign up and do something about it," he said.

"But now my health's forced me to give it in. It's a job getting about now."

Mr Denley, who was born in Hankerton, grew up in Malmesbury and he and his former wife Joy raised three children in the town.

The grandfather of four is a familiar face about the town after spending seven years at The Borough Arms.

Before that he served in the Army and worked as a chauffeur at Butlins in Skegness.

He said: "They were the only times I was away from Malmesbury and I loved it but this is home.

"I love Malmesbury, I'm well known around the town and it's a lovely place.

"I was in the borough the other day and the landlord asked why the best councillor we had was resigning."

Mr Denley is also one of a handful of councillors who were involved when North Wiltshire District Council took over in 1974 and the old borough council became Malmesbury Town Council.

"That was the biggest change I've seen," he said. "We did our own thing before then, we looked after our own roads and did our own dust carts.

"Then the district council came and took over and now people in Chippenham get paid to do nothing. That was the worst thing to happen to Malmesbury."

Although Mr Denley was against the district council take over he still fought hard to look after the town.

As mayor he opened the old Burnham House care home in the 1980s, which this month moved to Athelstan House at the Primary Care Centre.

"Looking after the elderly was a main concern and I was proud of that work I did," he said.

Town clerk Jeff Penfold said: "He'll be missed by all I'm sure."