Councillors run up £780,000 bill in first year of council

Councillors run up £780,000 bill in first year of council

20 July 2016

COUNCILLORS cost the ratepayers of Newry, Mourne and Down District over £780,000 in the last financial year.

Latest figures released by the council show the 42 councillors who served the district in the 12 months up to the end of March this year, were paid a total of £783,826.16. This figure includes a payment of £2,366 to Pete Byrne who replaced Geraldine Donnelly in Slieve Gullion during the year.

Each councillor is paid a basic salary of £14,199.96 but every councillor received more than this bottom line figure — some much more. 

Councillors were paid over £70,700 in mileage, more than £22,540 for attending conferences and over £11,500 in broadband costs.

The highest paid councillor was, unsurprisingly, Downpatrick representative Naomi Bailie, who was elected as chairwoman for what was the first year of the new council. She received £40,637 but had to hand over the chair’s reins to her party colleague, Mickey Ruane, when she went off on maternity leave in January.

Mr Ruane was the second highest paid councillor, receiving £27,939.

Rowallane Ulster Unionist Robert Burgess took third spot with £23,698, thanks to the largest conference expenses of £4,408, well above any other councillor.

Councillor Bailie ran up the largest mileage claim of £7,338 due to the large number of events she was required to attend. 

Councillors living at either end of the huge district ran up large mileage claims. The biggest bill came from Terry Hearty, who lives in rural south Armagh and claimed £4,205 for travel expenses. At the other end of the constituency, Terry Andrews, who lives in Crossgar, clocked up over £3,700 in mileage allowances. Mr Andrews also claimed £766 in transport costs to travel to conferences.

Killyleagh councillor William Walker’s mileage bill was just over £2,800 which covered his bills for taxis which he uses on council business because he doesn’t drive.

The lowest expenses figure was Downpatrick councillor Gareth Sharvin who was paid £14,307. The only additional money paid to him above his basic salary was £108 for broadband costs.