THE former town clerk of Malvern has landed a new job at a district authority in Somerset despite being given an early retirement package by his former employers.

Stuart McDonough took early retirement from the Malvern Town Council clerk post in the summer.

He received a retirement package that it is estimated will cost the town council around £125,000.

But he is now working for South Somerset District Council (SSDC), based in Chard.

The district auditor is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr McDonough's retirement.

The council agreed to his request for early retirement in May, without disclosing the grounds.

Mr McDonough later said he was not prepared to work with members of Malvern Town Action Group.

Mr McDonough, who was appointed town clerk and treasurer in 1996, retired at the end of June.

When Mr McDonough was contacted this week by the Malvern Gazette, he confirmed that he had started work for SSDC in August as an area support officer, but declined to answer questions about his early retirement.

The Worcestershire branch of local government workers union, Unison, said there was nothing wrong with an employee such as Mr McDonough, who hadn't been made redundant, working elsewhere after agreeing a retirement package.

"I know of no provision which will prevent this person from seeking employment elsewhere - nothing to say you should not be re-employed," said Unison branch volunteer Del Green, a former local government worker.

"But I've not come across this before."

He added that any retirement package would simply be calculated on number of years service of the person involved and the number of years they had been in any pension scheme.