Port St Mary Commissioners has announced it has reached an agreement with clerk Alastair Hamilton and that he has left the role.

The authority had said that Mr Hamilton had been on sick leave since the start of January.

But now it says it has reached an agreement ’regarding matters that led to his resignation in January’.

The authority thanked him ’for his hard work and support to past and continuing commissioners’.

Mr Hamilton became clerk at the authority in 2014.

Two extraordinary general meetings (EGM) were held in January, one to discuss the clerk and the other to discuss a motion in relation to the clerk tabled by then deputy chairman Alec Merchant.

Mr Hamilton was not present at either. He had offered to tender his resignation, but the board decided to enter a process of mediation with the clerk.

Port St Mary has had eight clerks since the early 2000s. And it’s on the hunt for its ninth said commissioners’ chairman Laurence Vaughan-Williams.

’We have an excellent deputy clerk in Hayley Fargher,’ he said. ’No doubt we have to go through the process of finding a new clerk. By law we have to have a new clerk.’

The possible amalgamation with another authority - Port Erin most likely - was raised at recent surgeries and at one, held last month, received unanimous support from the public.

But some commissioners say other residents favour the village remaining independent.

Mr Merchant said at a recent meeting his conversations with members of the public showed they are ’anxious amalgamation does not happen’.

Mr Vaughan-Williams said: ’There are certain members of the board who favour amalgamation with Port Erin, they think it will save money. I was not elected to preside over amalgamation, I want to preserve the independence of Port St Mary. Amalgamation is not on the agenda.’

He added: I will do everything I can to reverse the rate rise next year.’

â?¢ In light of a recent article about attendance allowance, Mr Vaughan-Williams said he donates his attendance allowance to the Salvation Army.