This article is from page 5 of the 2006-03-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
THE 32 members of Clare County Council last year scooped almost €1 million between salaries and expenses, figures released by the council reveal.
The figures show that the members shared €880,513 in 2005 with Clare’s Mayor, Councillor Patrick Keane (FF) accruing the highest amount at €37,842. That is some €7,000 more than the average industrial wage.
Cllr Keane came out top through the mayor’s allowance, which provides €22,500 and €7,500 for his deputy, Sonny Scanlan (FG).
The figures published are inclusive of the taxable €15,330 salary received by councillors.
Cllr Keane maintained this week that he was “good value” for the money received. Speaking days after being released from hospital after suffering from exhaustion, Cllr Keane said, “I would be on top by virtue of the mayor’s allowance and living the furthest from Ennis.”
Councillors living the furthest away from Ennis are paid the highest amounts to attend meetings, while those living in Ennis receive the smallest amounts.
“It is a major disadvantage in living in west Clare having to travel to Ennis all the time to make representations, but you have to get on with it,” he said.
Fine Gael’s Councillor Madeleine Taylor-Quinn is unique amongst Clare’s councillors in not claiming any travelling expenses for conferences last year.She received the lowest expense amount at €19,916. The average pay out was €27,516.
The figures also reveal that €11,561 was spent by councillors on foreign travel last year to the Western Isles in Scotland. It cost €5,832 to cater for Councillors John Crowe (FG), John McInerney (FG), Martin Lafferty (Ind), Joe Carey (FG), Tommy Brennan (Ind), Pascal Fitzgerald (Lab) and Tony O’Brien (FF).
It cost €2,088 to send councillors on a fact-finding mission to Portugal. The councillors on that trip were John McInerney, Pascal Fitzgerald and Tommy Brennan.
It cost the taxpayer €3,641 to send Councillor Pat Daly (FF) to represent Clare at the New York St Patrick’s Day parade.
Another globetrotter was Councillor Flan Garvey (FF) who went to Melbourne, Australia as part of a twinning expedition – the cost to the tax-payer: €2,618.
Chairpersons of the Council’s Special Policy Committees (SPCs) also feature high on the list as they receive €5,078.
They are obliged to hold only four meetings each year, though most hold more.