John Peck

John Harold Peck (August 1922 – 28 March 2004) was a British communist politician, known for contesting a large number of elections before finally winning one. He served as a Nottingham City Councillor from 1987 to 1997, for the Communist Party of Great Britain and then the Green Party.

Early life Born in Caistor in Lincolnshire, Peck grew up in Scunthorpe and was educated at Scunthorpe Grammar School.

He was a pilot with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Flying Officer Peck was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1945.

Political activism After the war, Peck worked at Scunthorpe Steelworks and became an active trade unionist. As the only other councillor, Peck, effectively held the casting vote. He generally sided with Labour, but voted against them to prevent a reorganisation of council departments.

In 1990, with the CPGB on the verge of dissolution, Peck defected to the Green Party of England and Wales, for which he held his seat at three elections, until he retired in 1997. In total, he contested 49 elections at various levels, a record acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records.

Retirement Peck published his autobiography, Persistence: The Story of a British Communist, in 2001 while leading the Nottingham Pensioners' Action Group. He died in 2004 after suffering ill health.