Fine Gael’s Cllr Alan Shaw has become the first member of Athlone Town Council to publish his pay and expenses online.
The move to publish this information on his website, www.alanshaw.ie, for the period since his election up to May 2010, reflects the need for greater transparency in public life, he says.
According to Cllr Shaw, there is a need for public representatives to lead the way in improving and increasing the level of transparency - “not only in public life but in the manner in which we do business throughout the economy generally. It is now 12 months since the new council was elected and an opportune time to look back as well as looking forward to the year ahead.”
While councillors will have the option to publish expenses from June 2010 on the Athlone Town Council website, Cllr Shaw says there is no reason why information for the past year should not also be made available.
He also called for a new audit system for the expenses of public representatives, together with “the necessary changes in national legislation required to ensure that the hidden practices of a minority are eliminated”.
