Between 1966 and 1984, Brooks was Secretary of the
Labour party for
Cardiff South-East constituency. In the
February 1974 and
October 1974 general election, he contested
Barry for Labour. Brooks was an elected Cardiff
councillor for the
Splott ward. He became leader of
South Glamorgan County Council (SGCC), known for his "strong leadership style" and his effective control of the Labour Party group during the 1980s. When he replaced Reverend
Bob Morgan as leader it was described as a 'coup', with Brooks deciding a tougher leadership was required. Brooks was widely seen as being enormously influential on the future leader of SGCC and
Cardiff Council,
Russell Goodway. After many years acting as agent to former prime minister Jim Callaghan. He further received an Honorary Fellowship of the
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC). As Deputy Chairman of the
Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (and representative for the Council), he was pivotally instrumental in the redevelopment of the Docks area of Cardiff now known worldwide as
Cardiff Bay. Brooks was a former chairman of the
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame from 1988 and
Sportsmatch Wales from 1992. In 1994, he was made a
Deputy Lieutenant of
South Glamorgan. ==Personal life==