THIS SURVEY of councillors’ expenses was compiled from figures provided by 33 of the 34 city and county councils over a four-month period. It chronicles gross payments made to councillors in 2009.
The total amount paid by each council includes representational payments, which were introduced in 2002 and set at 25 per cent of a senators salary, as well as expenses, allowances and gratuity payments. The latter figure is included in all but one of the councils which released figures.
Offaly County Council will not be compiling figures for its county councillors until next month.
Some local authorities, including Kildare County Council and some individual councillors took voluntary reductions in their representational payments last year in reflection of the economic downturn.
The overall amount a councillor can spend on expenses was capped by Minister for Local Government John Gormley in February when the Local Government Act 2001 Regulations 2010 were finalised, limiting councillors’ expenditure on conferences, seminars and other meetings or events.
From 2010 onwards county and city councils can pay a maximum of €4,700 multiplied by the number of councillors in a particular local authority.
Depending on the local authority councils may also act as mayor, cathaoirleach or chair of the local authority for which they also receive payments, the amount of which is decided by the individual councils while vice-chairs, vice-mayors and leas cathaoirleachs also receive lesser payments.