Council defends job 'Down Under'

Mat Taylor will work one day a week for the council

A Cambridgeshire council has defended keeping its head of finance when he moves to Australia in October.

Mat Taylor, 44, will continue to work for Fenland District Council despite living 10,000 miles away in Adelaide.

The council will pay Mr Taylor a £20,000 salary to retain his services and will continue to communicate with him via the internet.

The council said the arrangement would be about £60,000 a year cheaper than hiring an interim replacement.

It said a temporary replacement would cost about £800 a day.

"As a resident of Fenland for 12 years, I'm really looking forward to being able to remain connected to the great things going on at the council," said Mr Taylor, who earns £100,000 a year in his current post.

He will work one day a week for the council, with certain elements of his job passed on to other staff until he is replaced.

Council chief Geoff Harper said: "The council is confident it will work well, both for us and Mat."