In 2009, nationally, County and City Councils spent in excess of €31 million in payments to their Councillors according to today’s Irish Times Newspaper.
In the two Riding’s of County Tipperary, the overall cost was just short of €2 million, with North Tipperary splitting €890,000 between their 21 Councillors and South Tipperary splitting €1.04 million between 26 Councillors.
According to regulations, gratuity payments, which are taxable, are made to councillors if they are not re-elected. In this regard South Tipperary and North Tipperary paid out in excess of €400,000 to former councillors. Nationally Councillors who retired or who failed to be re-elected in last year’s local elections received more than €4.76 million in gratuity payments last year.
Payments received by elected County and City Councillors include a basic salary, called a Representational Payment, which is subject to PAYE in the normal way and PRSI as appropriate.
Councillors also receive an annual allowance for reasonable expenses incurred in attending meetings associated with their council business and miscellaneous costs such as postage, travel expenses, and can also claim up to €600 in a mobile phone allowance annually.
The overall amount a councillor can spend on expenses was capped by Minister for Local Government John Gormley in February last when the Local Government Act 2001 Regulations 2010 were finalised. This limited councillors’ expenditure on conferences, seminars and other meetings or events.
Many County Councillors additionally receive payments as members of local Urban District Councils also.
The influential and well paid post of County or Local Councillor, peculiarly, remains the only employment currently obtainable within the Irish State where an Interview, IQ Test, C.V. or Educational Qualification is not part of any qualifying process and the only post where work performance is regarded as of little consequence.
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