Freelancing after redundancy

I was made redundant by a large plc due to a corporate restructure. There were no alternative jobs so I received my pay in lieu of notice and some company redundancy. All fine. The following week, one of the companies that is owned by the plc offered me some freelancing work - a few days a week. This was a company that I had done some work with, but my contract was not with them, it was with the plc. I was very happy to take this while I looked for something else and signed a freelancing contract with them and will be invoicing them monthly.

The plc have now found out about it and are questioning it with the company that hired me, want to see the contract etc.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me where I stand. As far as I was concerned, I am a free agent and can freelance where I like - the fact that the company is owned by the plc is irrelevant - it is not like they have offered me a job, with all the security and benefit of employment. I guess I'm just wondering if they can ask me to pay back my redundancy money, or if they have a case for asking this company not to freelance the work to me.

Any advice appreciated! Thanks.

Can't see anything wrong with this. Certainly no risk to your redundancy pay (unless there was anything specifically in your contract or the terms of your company redundancy procedure which prevents you doing this).

There may be some internal protocol that they are exercised about, but that's not your problem (unless they end your freelancing contract of course which presumably they can do at any time for any reason anyway).

Thanks - what I thought but just wanted reassuring!