32 councillors shared €1m in expenses and payments

CLARE COUNTY Council last night published details of individual payments and expenses topping €1 million made last year to its 32 councillors.

The figures include a conference allocation of €179,897 to cover the cost of councillors attending conferences and summer schools around the country.

The figures show that Clare’s mayor, Tony Mulcahy (FG), received the highest overall amount at €44,104.

The payments to the Shannon-based councillor include a half-year mayoral allowance of €13,500, which is subject to tax.

Mr Mulcahy also received a councillor’s basic pay of €17,604, which is also subject to tax.

The figures also show that Mr Mulcahy – like all other councillors – received a mobile phone allowance and last year his came to €504.

Mr Mulcahy said last night: “I would like to think that the 32 councillors provide good value for money to our constituents.” He said “work as a councillor is a seven-days-a-week job”.

Mr Mulcahy added that he would not like to see any further decrease in a councillor’s income.

“By the time all the costs of being a councillor are factored in, we are lucky to be on the minimum wage. You couldn’t keep a family going on the average councillor’s income.”

Giving an example of his workload, Mr Mulcahy said that over a four-day period during last November’s floods, he made and took 208 phone calls.

“That was exceptional, but that gives you an idea of the work we do.”

In a new departure, the returns also show the number of council-related meetings councillors attended during the year.

The figures show that Mr Mulcahy attended 46 meetings during the year. This did not include the number of public meetings and meetings with outside bodies that he also attended, he added.

The figures show that former councillor Madeleine Taylor Quinn who served as mayor for six months last year, received €40,858.

Other councillors to feature high on the list include PJ Kelly (FF) who received €37,666; Richard Nagle (FF) who received €37,613; Martin Conway who received €37,387 and Patricia McCarthy, who received €36,682.

All are chairs of council special policy committees for which they receive a payment of €5,879 per annum.

Some of the payments to Ms Taylor Quinn include €595 to go to Dublin for a meeting with Minister for State Michael Finneran, while she also received €611 for a meeting with the National Roads Authority in Dublin.

The figures show that she received €1,021 in expenses for the seven-day trip to New York and Chicago for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations last March.