City Councillors earn €460k in payments for one year

The taxpayer funded payments totalling almost €460,000 in expenses and allowances to city councillors during 2014.

A total of 21 councillors (half-year claims are included for councillors who lost their seats and the new Council’s ‘first-timers’) claimed a total of €457,389 over the twelve-month period.

The monies paid include an annual basic salary of €16,565 (which is subject to tax) and a further annual allowance of up to €4,355 depending on the number of local authority meetings attended by the individual councillor.

Councillors are also entitled to claim an allowance for their mobile phones and broadband, as well as for travelling expenses, overnight and subsistence expenses for travelling to conferences around the country.

Those who Chair one of the Council’s five Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) – Housing; Planning; Economic Development, Enterprise Support and Culture; Transportation; Environment, Recreation and Amenity – also receive an allowance of €6,000 per annum.

The figures show that Fine Gael’s Padraig Conneely had the biggest claim, totalling more than €62,500 – although he served as Mayor for half the year, for which he received a Mayoral allowance of €26,000 (90% of which is subject to tax).

His claims included a trip to Boston to attend the inauguration ceremony of Mayor Marty Walsh, whose parents are from Connemara. The flights and accommodation cost almost €2,500.

Cllr Conneely also claimed for a trip to Cannes in the French Riviera to accept an award with the Council’s Chief Executive Brendan McGrath for the ‘Best Overall Micro City in Europe’.

In second place was current Mayor, Donal Lyons (the figure includes a Mayoral allowance for part of the year) at almost €38,000, which included around €1,200 for a trip to Milwaukee and Chicago.

For full details of each councillor’s salary, allowances and expenses see the digital edition of the Galway City Tribune of 17 April or download the City Tribune app from the App Store or Google Play.