Former mayor made false marine claim - panel

Greg Brackenridge only completed 30 weeks of Royal Marine training, a panel found

A former mayor of Wolverhampton, who a panel of councillors concluded falsely claimed to have served with the Royal Marines, has been asked to make a public apology.

Councillor Greg Brackenridge was accused of "stolen valour" after he claimed to have served in the Royal Marines whilst carrying out mayoral duties in September 2021.

A panel of councillors from City of Wolverhampton Council upheld the accusations after finding that Mr Brackenridge had failed to finish training to become a Royal Marine.

Following a meeting on Monday, they ordered the councillor to make a public apology, in a specified form to be decided by the panel.

Council papers show the panel of four concluded that Mr Brackenridge made the claim during the unveiling of the Saragarhi Monument in 2021 in the city, in honour 19th century Sikh soldiers.

They also said he had "given the impression" that he had served as a Royal Marine while chairing the council's Armed Forces Covenant Board, despite only completing 30 weeks of training.

In his submission to the panel, Brackenbridge said he withdrew before finishing the training due to personal circumstances.

Media leaks claim

The former mayor should have "made it clear" that he was a Royal Marine recruit and did not pass out, the documents said.

Panel members also concluded that his actions were "likely to have caused distress among members of the public and the armed forces community".

They said Brackenbridge had several chances in the investigation to give his viewpoint and they did not accept his claim that he did not take part due to concerns over possible leaks to the media.

Concluding their report, the panel deemed that Brackenridge should also be removed from the council's resources and equality scrutiny panel.

The group will also advise the leader of the council, Stephen Simkins, of their findings so he can determine if any other group disciplinary action is appropriate.