CITY COUNCIL STAFF NOT APPROVED FOR ALLOWANCES CLAIMED

Date Published: 10-Oct-2011

Two thirds of staff at Galway City Council had no approval to claim acting allowances according to a report from the Local Government Auditor.

The report reveals that 205 thousand euro was paid to staff in acting positions last year, of which 66 percent were not approved by the Department of Local Government.

Acting up allowances are received by staff to take on the duties of another post on a temporary basis.

The auditor, Mary Keaney, says that local authorities are required to submit a ‘Staffing Request Application’ to the Department for approval for acting up allowances which exceed 6 months.

The Manager’s response, contained in the report, says it’s not always possible to predict the duration of the acting period.

Councillor Padraig Conneely says the Council has breached Local Government guidelines.