Councillors have cost this city €2.13 million over the last five years while the mayoral transport is costing €209,000. It is time to call a halt to councillors’ expenses and abolish this “gravy train” system.
This is the view of Independent councillor and Galway City West candidate Daniel Callanan. He has upped the ante in the Local Election campaign by releasing figures showing the total pay, allowances, and expenses incurred by the 15 Galway city councillors over the past five years.
The figures show Mayor Pádraig Conneely (FG ) received €177,519; Tom Costello (Lab ) €174,044; Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green ) €158,738; Catherine Connolly (Ind ) €158,079; Brian Walsh (FG ) €142,835; Colette Connolly (Lab ) €142,179; Donal Lyons (Ind ) €140,880; John Mulholland (FG ) €132,676; Declan McDonnell (Ind ) €123,823; Terry O’Flaherty (Ind ) €121,007; Billy Cameron (Lab ) €116,500; Michael J Crowe (FF ) €113,540; John Connolly (FF ) €110,751; and Daniel Callanan (Ind ) €106,565.
No figures were given for Mary Leahy (FF ) who was only co-opted onto the council in 2007. The figures for councillors Conneely, Costello, Ó Brolcháin, Walsh, and Catherine Connolly are the highest as each served a term as mayor over the last five years.
Councillors are legally entitled to claim expenses. However in light of the current economic downturn calls are emerging for expenses claims to be cut back or scrapped altogether. Cllr Callanan is adamant that the expenses should be scrapped.
“The whole thing is a gravy train,” Cllr Callanan told the Galway Advertiser. “Too many are claiming expenses and there is abuse of the system. The public is entitled to know about this. Given that some of the councillors have full time jobs, with these expenses and their pay as councillors, they are earning well above the average industrial wage.”
Cllr Callanan said that if he is re-elected this weekend, he will be calling for the abolition of the expenses system and that he expects other councillors to back him given that “we are living in changed economic times and politicians need to accept this”.
