Government agrees a reform in councillor pay and conditions
The Government today approved proposals to reform the remuneration payable to local councillors.
“The proposals approved by Government take account of the recommendations of the independent review of the Role and Remuneration of Local Authority Elected Members, led by Ms Sara Moorhead SC, published in 2020, and subsequent feedback from councillors and their representative bodies,” said Mr. Peter Burke, TD, Minister of State for Local Government and Planning.
“The Government has met its Programme for Government commitment to implement the Moorhead Report within 12 months. The reforms approved will come into effect from 1 July,” added the Minister.
Councillors need to orient away from representations that make no difference anyway. by
Educate
and empower Councillors to exercise effective governance and compliance over the €5bn administered by local authorities annually; and to be public not private representatives.
By Fiona McLoughlin Healy.
The Report on the Role and Remuneration of Local Authority Elected Members written by Senior Counsel Sara Moorhead issued to Minister John Paul Phelan last year and recommended an increase of €8,000 on the current salary for Councillors, bringing it to €25,000 annually and dilution of the increase by a reduction in expenses.
Subsequent debate has focused on the remuneration element of the report, diverting attention away from a concerning finding of the report that:
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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.