A LABOUR district councillor, who admitted assaulting his neighbour, will not face disciplinary action - says the national watchdog which oversees the conduct of people in public life.

The Advertiser/Messenger can exclusively reveal that Councillor Athol Deakin learned yesterday (Tuesday) that the Standards Board for England will not be taking action after he pleaded guilty in court to common assault on his neighbour.

Magistrates ordered him to do 100 hours community service.

In a letter the board told Cllr Deakin, who represents Sidemoor, that the information provided was insufficient for it to make a decision on whether a judgement could be made.

It went on to say that it is unclear if the alleged incident happened while Cllr Deakin was acting in his capacity as a councillor, as the board does not normally investigate issues occurring in a member's private life.

However, as we exclusively reported last week, Cllr Deakin has already resigned the Labour whip and said he will not stand in next spring's local elections.

He refused to confirm or deny if this was his decision or if it had been forced on him by the Labour hierarchy seeking to distance itself from a potentially embarrassing situation.

Cllr Deakin said he has received scores of letters, emails and calls urging him to reconsider and he has not ruled out standing as an independent.

He said: "I love Sidemoor and its residents and will continue to look after their interests until the end of the present term.

"I have been overwhelmed by the tremendous support people have shown me and am delighted the Standards Board has exonerated me."