REACTION:A MAYOR'S work is more than a full-time job and justifies a salary which reflects this, according to some of the State's highest paid councillors.
Noel Harrington received €81,397 before tax last year, including a mayoral allowance of just under €30,000 for the six-month period which he served as mayor of Cork County Council between January and June 2009.
Mr Harrington said that while he recognised the payment was “quite generous”, he noted that his role of mayor of a county which covers one-eighth of the country’s territory was a big undertaking.
“It’s a full-time job. There’s no question about that,” he said, adding that he also has to pay someone to cover him in his regular job in his post office. Moreover, he said he has a two-hour journey to county hall before he even begins his day’s work.
While he said that he felt the amount which councillors are paid is justified, they should be given “far greater responsibilities and powers at council level”.
“When you look coldly at it, the figures are high but the real problem is that people aren’t getting effective representation and decision-making at a local level for the amount they’re paying,” he said, adding that education, health and policing should be dealt with locally.
He questioned whether national politicians should be spending as much time dealing with local issues instead of handling national policy issues.
Dara Murphy, Lord Mayor of Cork city received €80,723 last year before tax. He said he works seven a days a week, 12 hours a day in his position as lord mayor.
Even ordinary councillors put in more than part-time hours, he said. “Most councillors would put in about 30 hours a week . . . and would obviously require another job . . . because a councillor’s salary is modest.” He added that a review of local government was needed, which he suggested would see fewer councillors with more power and responsibility.
However, he said this would have to take place in the context of full government reform, noting that many TDs were more preoccupied with their constituencies than working on national policy.
Derry Canty, Mayor of Cork County Council, said he is being taxed heavily on his gross income of €72,506 in what is essentially a 24/7 job.
When he finishes as mayor later this year he will revert to a representational payment of €16,724 as set out by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. He said that, in bringing about more and more cuts to councillors payments and expenses, John Gormley was “actually killing local government”.
Kevin Kiely, Mayor of Limerick, who received €57,486 in gross payments in 2009 including a mayoral allowance of €26,600, said the payment to the mayor was justified given the amount of work and responsibility which comes with the position and with the attached workload which can mean he works up to 80 hours a week.
“Personally I think the position of mayor should be paid at the same rate as that of city manager,” he said.
After he finishes up in the position in June he will go back to being paid a representational payment which he noted is below the average industrial wage and less than what he would be claiming on social welfare if he were to apply for it.
“Luckily I don’t have a mortgage . . . if I had a mortgage I wouldn’t be involved in politics as I wouldn’t be able to survive ,” he said.
Noel Bourke, general secretary of the Local Authority Members Association and Cathaoirleach of Offaly County Council said councillors did not receive a salary, instead they receive a modest representational payment. He noted that other payments and allowances brought up councillors’ payments to a level where they were liable for PAYE, employees’ PRSI as well as the income and pension levy.
He said that more and more councillors were full time as their workload had increased to the level where they could not carry out their own jobs as well as their responsibilities as a councillor.
He added that councillors’ wages had been cut last year from €17,604 to €16,724 in line with a reduction in Senators’ salaries. Councillors receive a fourth of the wage of a member of the Seanad.