Councillors’ payments reveal gradual drop

Áine Ryan

THEIR annual expenses bill may be decreasing year-on-year but current and former Mayo county councillors still managed to incur €877,561.82 expenses during 2017. That was €14,315.90 less than during 2016 and €27,714.53 less than during 2015. As well as their salaries (representational payments) of €16,618.32, the cathaoirligh of Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) received an additional stipend of €4,500 each; while the cathaoirleach and leas-cathaoirleach of the county council, as well as the cathaoirligh of the municipal districts, received allowances. In the case of Cllr Al McDonnell (Fianna FΡil), who acted as county council cathaoirleach for the first six months of 2017, his overall payment amounted to €39,956.48. This amount included a cathaoirleach’s allowance of €14,917.81, as well as foreign expenses amounting to €969.40. The foreign travel expenses related solely to his official visit to New York from March 11 to 18 for St Patrick’s Day engagements.
Six other councillors were paid foreign travel expenses, all for St Patrick’s Day engagements.
They were: Cllr Michael Loftus’s (FF) official visit to Pittsfield, USA, March 9 to 15, €1,596.43; Cllr Michael Kilcoyne (Ind), official visit to New York, March 10 to 18, €1,376.94; Cllr Henry Kenny (FG), official visit to New York, March 10 to 15, €898.54; Cllr Blackie Gavin (FF), official visit to Chicago, March 10 to 16, €1,40732; Cllr John O’Hara (FG), official visit to New York, Philadelphia and Rhode Island, March 11 to 18, €834.72; Cllr Martin McLoughlin (FF), March 11 to 18, €739.50.
Meanwhile, the second and third highest overall payments were to Belmullet-based Cllr Gerry Coyle (FG), who received a total payment of €34,797 during 2017 while Cllr Annie May Reape (FF) was paid €32,727.67. Those paid the least included Sinn Féin’s Cllr Thérèse Ruane, who retired during the year, and was paid €21,397.45; Cllr Frank Durcan (Ind), €21,919.50; and Cllr Tereasa McGuire (FG), €22,858.47.
Conference and training expenses totalled €69,440.34 with the highest claims by Cllr Damian Ryan (FF), €6,410.32 and Cllr John O’Hara (FG) claiming €6,403.14.
Gratuity payments to former councillors included a payment of €24,553.47 to Peter Flynn and €2,561.28 to Eoin Garavan, both former Fine Gael representatives.