MALVERN'S town clerk is in line for a pay rise of more than 35 per cent - after a behind-closed-doors meeting was held to raise her salary.

Malvern Town Council's top official could be handed an extra £16,000 under the move, taking Linda Blake's pay to £60,000.

Private talks have taken place between five town councillors who sit on a special 'staffing committee' over her current role, which is believed to pay just over £43,000 at the moment.

A leaked copy of the minutes reveals how the increase in pay, more than 60 times the current rate of inflation, is on the cards.

Ms Blake is responsible for making sure the town council runs smoothly and manages its finances.

During private talks last month from which the press and public were barred, the town councillors unanimously recommended the proposal.

Papers seen by this newspaper refer to Ms Blake being a qualified accountant who produces the council's accounts.

The minutes refer to her being the 'responsible financial officer' (RFO), a position other town clerks "do not necessarily hold" as a justification for the rise.

The recommendation is being passed to the full town council on Tuesday, May 24 for approval.

The five were councillors Cynthia Palmer, Matt Campbell, Patrick Mewton, Simon Nichols and Clive Smith.

Councillor Nichols said: "No decision has yet been made, it's a recommendation and one that is confidential at this stage.

"Nothing is being hidden here, there is nothing underhand, the council publishes its salaries as part of its public duties but it's the process which is confidential."

Councillor Smith said: "We did some benchmarking with other town clerks, we looked at ones in Oswestry and Weston-super-Mare which were paid a lot more.

"And both of those are not the town's relevant financial officers, but ours is.

"That was our reasoning and I'm pretty confident it'll be approved."

He said the Oswestry town clerk's salary was £71,000.

Councillor Palmer, who chaired the meeting, said it was "not council policy to comment on material it believes has been obtained improperly".

The private meeting also discussed freezing the head gardener's pay but rises of 3.8 per cent to six other jobs including the clerk's PA, an operations manager, a finance officer, receptionist and two co-ordinator positions.

A town clerk's pay appears to vary significantly around the country.

Handforth Parish Council, in Cheshire is currently looking for a clerk and RFO paying £28,746 to £32,778 while Sutton Coldfield Town Council is advertising its role at £51,062 to £57,569.