Athlone town councillors received €700k since 2004

Athlone town councillors have received €700,000 in payments and expenses since being elected to the local authority in June 2004. Figures obtained by the Westmeath Independent reveal today the pre-tax figures claimed by the nine members during the course of this council term. The amounts which councillors are entitled to claim have risen significantly in the last five years. At the time of the last local elections, which were held on June 11, 2004, those who sat on Athlone Town Council alone could claim a representational payment of €7,070 per annum. That"s since risen to €8,802 annually - an increase of almost 25%. The members who sit on both the town council and Westmeath County Council have had their basic payment increased at the same rate - from €14,137 at the time of the last local elections to €17,604 today. In addition, the Mayoral allowance which members receive for chairing the local authority for one year has more than doubled during the course of the current council term. Austin Berry received an allowance of €7,000 for serving as Athlone Mayor for 2004/2005, while current Mayor Egbert Moran will receive €15,000 for carrying out his duties. The Athlone Deputy Mayor"s allowance has jumped from €850 in 2004/2005 to €2,000 per annum today. All councillors receive a representational payment and a fixed allowance (currently €2,843.04 per annum) to meet expenses incurred by them in attending meetings associated with their council business. Members may also claim for miscellaneous expenses related to attendance at committee meetings, deputations to meet government Ministers, and meetings in Mullingar. A mobile phone allowance of up to €600 per annum could also be claimed by councillors from 2007 onwards. Of those who sit on the town council alone, the current Mayor Egbert Moran claimed the largest amount - a total of €73,824.62 since June 2004. Cllr Paul Hogan (€68,846.27) and Cllr John Butler (€68,159.15) received the next highest totals among those who are town councillors alone. Members who are county councillors too receive a higher all-in representational payment covering their membership of both town and county council. The highest amount claimed by any member went to Cllr Kieran Molloy, whose membership of both the town and county councils, as well as periods serving as Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Athlone, contributed to his five-year total of €105,086.36. Some members claimed significantly more in miscellaneous expenses and allowances than others. Cllr John Butler and Cllr Egbert Moran claimed the two highest totals in miscellaneous expenses and phone allowances - €3,167.80 and €2,483.27 respectively. Meanwhile Cllrs Austin Berry and Mick O"Connell didn"t claim any miscellaneous expenses or phone allowances, while Cllr Ray Lennon claimed just €23.92, up to the end of 2008. The figures listed here include all representational payments and expenses claimed by council members during the course of this council term - with two exceptions. The figures listed do not include members" expenses for attending conferences, and because the council term has not yet ended we have not included miscellaneous expenses or mobile phone allowance figures for 2009.