Gloucester A former spy chief has joined his local council as a non-executive director. It is thought to be the first time that such a role has existed in local government.

Sir David Pepper, 60, retired in July as director of GCHQ, the Government’s signals intelligence section at Cheltenham. He was a key figure in national security, charged with electronic eavesdropping on suspects across the world and protecting government communications from hackers.

In his new role he will spend two days a month overseeing Gloucestershire County Council’s reorganisation programme.

“Sir David’s experience of transforming GCHQ and his knowledge of Gloucestershire make him an ideal choice of nonexecutive director,” Peter Bungard, the council’s chief executive, said.

A council spokesman said that Sir David had been hired “to offer a fresh perspective on plans and performance as well as providing an external challenge to the way the council is run”.

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