Regulations to limit Cllr expenses finalised
Issued: 11 February 2010
Statement by John Gormley
Minister Gormley limits expenditure on Councillors attending conferences, seminars and events
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr John Gormley, T.D., has today (11 Feb. 2010) finalised the Local Government Act 2001 (Section 142) Regulations 2010. The new regulations will limit to expenditure by local authorities on conferences, seminars, other meetings or events. The new regime applies for 2010 and for each subsequent year.
Under the Regulations, annual expenditure from 2010 by local authorities in the following classes is limited, as follows:
| County/City councils | €4,700 | Multiplied by the number of Councillors in the Local Authority |
| Boroughs and certain large Town Councils that were formerly Urban District Councils (UDCs) | €3,000 | X by the number of Councillors in the Local Authority |
| Town Councils that were formerly UDCs and certain larger former Town Commissioners | €2,000 | X by the number of Councillors in the Local Authority |
| Other Town Councils that were formerly Town Commissioners | €1,000 | X by the number of Councillors in the Local Authority |
Example:
In the case of a county/city council the maximum amount which may be paid for 2010 and subsequent years is €4,700 multiplied by the number of councillors in that particular local authority.
Details of the application of the limits to different classes of local authorities are set out in Regulation 2 and the Schedule to the Regulations.
The limits cover expenditure on attending domestic and foreign events and include costs associated with conference fees and travel/subsistence.
The Minister said “this is the first time any such limits have been set”. He went on to say “I have been concerned at both the level of expenditure on conference/seminars/events attended by councillors and the relevance of some of these. I have signalled this on a number of occasions, including when I met the three elected member associations (Association of County & City Councils, Association of Municipal Authorities of Ireland and Local Authority Members Association) last September. On that occasion I asked them to work with me and my Department in this regard. Against this background, I want to acknowledge the constructive way the associations have engaged on this issue.
The Minister stressed that while the limits set out in the Regulations are maximum amounts, they should not be seen as being a target or an amount deemed appropriate for a local authority in any given year. The Regulations specifically leave it open to each local authority to provide a lesser amount. The Minister has encouraged them to do so, and quite a number already do. In addition, the Minister will keep the operation of the Regulations under close review in this regard.
The limits are aimed at achieving better value for money and tackling spending in excess of €13,000 per councillor per year in some cases. They follow on a 25% cut in travel and subsistence allowances applied to councillors last year.
The Minister considers that councillors should have access to proper training and development to equip them to discharge their duties. In the light of this, he has issued directive guidelines under Section 142(5)(g) of the Local Government Act 2001, to accompany the Regulations. The guidelines, inter alia, set out requirements in relation to the provision of an appropriate training and development programme for councillors. In conclusion, the Minister said that “together the Regulations and the guidelines will achieve the twin objectives of limiting expenditure, while at the same time ensuring a targeted and comprehensive approach to meeting the training and development needs of councillors.”