Elected representatives on Wexford County Council continue to receive a travel allowance for attending county and district council meetings, despite the fact these meetings have been taking place online via Microsoft Teams for the past couple of months.
Despite the Covid pandemic massively curbing members travel to meetings and events, they will still have been able to draw down their full monthly expenses of between €400 and €650, which includes a provision for travel.
Head of Communications and County Secretary David Minogue explained that the members annual expenses allowance was broken down into three elements - travel, subsistence and an unvouched fixed rate allowance in respect of miscellaneous expenses.
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“My guesstimate is that in Fingal we have paid in excess of €50,000 for such journeys during this pandemic that have not been made and if this is just one local authority, then the figure countrywide could run to millions,” he said.
Fingal County Council said one councillor has waived their expenses.
“The Annual Expenses Allowance for elected members is calculated and paid in line with regulations and guidelines from the department and on the basis of ‘relevant meetings’ in a year,” it said.
“The exceptional circumstances of the pandemic and its effect on the members’ ability to meet in the normal way is being provided for this year. Payment is made monthly rather than on a meeting-by-meeting basis. The budget provision for the travel element of the annual expenses is €69,300.”
Councillors paid mileage for attending virtual meetings from homes in Republic of Ireland belfasttelegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from belfasttelegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.