FORMER Malvern mayor David Williams has said he does not know why people are concerned about the town's ex-clerk, Stuart McDonough, getting another job following early retirement.

Mr McDonough took early retirement at the end of June and in August started work as an area support officer for South Somerset District Council (SSDC).

The early retirement decision is likely to cost Malvern taxpayers more than £125,000 in pension contributions.

Following questions by Coun Paul Tuthill at a recent meeting, Coun Williams admitted that he had supplied a reference for Mr McDonough for the South Somerset job.

Coun Williams, who sat on the committee which approved early retirement, this week said: "It never entered my mind that a man of his age would spend the rest of his life doing nothing.

"People retire from the army and they get another job. People retire from the police force and they get another job. Teachers retire and they get another job.

"It makes my mind boggle that people imagine that a man of Mr McDonough's age would not get another job."

He declined to comment on whether he had informed his colleagues that he had provided a reference.

The SSDC job was advertised in the April 27 issue of Opportunities, a weekly journal which lists local authority vacancies. The advertisement quoted a salary of between £23,259 and £25,419.

The deadline for applications was May 14 and interviews were held on June 4.

Mr McDonough's early retirement package was approved at the meeting of Malvern Town Council's resources sub-committee on April 30 this year.

Coun Williams said this week he could not recall when he provided the references.

However David Stapledon, a corporate director of SSDC, said the council's procedure was to contact the referees after a shortlist was compiled but before interviews. He said in this case it would have been "late May or early June".