Calls for fairer pay for County Councillors

A Senator has said the basic rate of pay for a Councillor is not sufficient for the work and commitment they give to the job.

Independent Senator Victor Boyhan said, "The basic rate of Councillor pay is just over €17,000 per year, subject to standard income tax, USC and PRSI contributions and that this was simply not sufficient or fair pay for the work and commitment that Councillors give to the job."

He acknowledged that the Government appointed Senior Counsel Sara Moorhead in June 2018 to conduct an independent review of the role and remuneration of Councillors, however he said to date no report or offer of a substantial pay increase has been made.

As City and County Councillors prepare to take their seats in Council chambers across the country it is timely that the Government address the issue of poor pay for Councillors, according to Senator Boyhan, a longtime advocate for Councillors' pay and conditions and a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Local Government.

Boyhan, a former County Councillor himself, said Councillors face many challenges and tasks in their community work as well as a substantial work load within their Council.

Despite many political promises on Councillors pay, no concrete offer has been forthcoming, and that is simply unfair and needs to be addressed. I believe that Councillors should be receiving a figure between €25,000 - €30,000 per year for payment for their work.

"In Ms Moorhead’s interim report she stated that the issue of pay and allowances is “extremely complex” and that a “considerable amount of work remains to be undertaken” including an online survey of Councillors to determine their current workload."

Senator Boyhan said that Councillor’s and their representative bodies, the Association of Ireland Local Authorities (AILG) and Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) have actively engaged with Ms Moorehead on the issue of pay and allowances, and were now at this stage keen to hear about her formal recommendations which they believe should include an acknowledgement of their expanded role and workload and in turn recommend an increase in remuneration and supports for same.

949 City and County Councillors will take their seats in new Councils this week, so it is timely and right that Councillors pay is now addressed.

"I have raised this matter with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Housing , Planning and  Local Government on many occasions over the last three years. I understand that a final Moorehead report on the Councillors pay is expected to be given to the Government shortly," he said.

I can confirm that I have today written to the members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Local Government, of which I am a member, seeking to secure a meeting with Minister John Paul Phelan, T.D. to discuss the recommendations of Ms Moorehead’s report and a timeline for its recommendations.