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“A ten million euro disgrace”
13.05.09
Farren slams plan as a
“reward for failure”
PLANS BY the Government to set aside €10 million to
compensate councillors who fail to regain their
seats in next month’s local elections were blasted
as ‘an absolute disgrace’ yesterday by Moville-based
Labour Party candidate Martin Farren.
The local election candidate said the fact that some
sitting councillors could get tax-free gratuities if
they fail to get elected in the upcoming council
elections was the type of decision that had people
on the doorsteps seething with anger.
“This is precisely the type of decision that really
annoys people. When the country and its citizens are
so hard pressed, a €10m fund can be found to
compensate councillors for not regaining their
seats. It’s essentially a reward for failure,” Mr.
Farren said. |
It is understood that
under the proposed scheme councillors aged over
fifty who are not returned, even those who choose
not to stand, are entitled to a lump sum payoff
which could, in some cases, be over €70,000.
Under the scheme councillors would be entitled to a
payment of €3,300 for each year of service since
2000 and a smaller payment for years before that.
The decision has already been defended by the
Association of County and City Councils, but Mr.
Farren insisted that those who |
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run for public office
should not be compensated if they ‘were not up to
the job.’
“The reality is that nobody puts a gun to somebody’s
head and makes them seek a seat on a council. They
know what hey are getting into and at the end of
their term if the public decide they are not up to
the task and don’t vote them back in, they shouldn’t
be rewarded with a lump sum,” he insisted.
The local candidate suggested that members of the
public would be angered when they discovered that
this is being planned.
“This is happening against a background of job
losses where pension funds are inadequate for the
needs of the workers and where civil servants are
considering retiring early to avoid a threatened tax
on their lump sum payments.”
He also suggested that it was difficult for
councillors to suggest on doorsteps there was no
money for essential works when money has been set
aside for a scheme like this.
“Our Local government is short of money for basic
infrastructure and yet money can be found to
compensate failure. It’s interesting that the
Government should introduce such a scheme at this
time when the opinion polls show a considerable drop
in support for Fianna Fail,” he concluded.
(Inishowen Independent) |
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