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Sligo Councillors' Expenses and Salaries Revealed

The fees, salary and expenses for Sligo County councillors has bee revealed. This comes on top of the previously unknown 'retirement bonus' which was paid to councillors who had been elected to the Dáil.

Sligo/Nth Leitrim Fine Gael TD Tony McLoughlin received a €53,000 lump sum as he transferred to a €92,000 salary and unvouched expenses as a TD. His daughter Aoife was co-opted, without being publicly elected, to his county council seat and has received over €20,000 in her nine months tenure.

Mr McLoughlin said, "My daughter contested the vacant council seat and was selected democratically by local party members.' Mr McLoughlin's Borough Council seat was secured by Daniel McGarrigle a Fine Gael party member and former president of Sligo Students Union.

To retain their co-opted seats both will have to face the electorate in the 2014 Local Elections.

Sinn Féin's Michael Colreavy TD received almost €38,000 on his departure from Leitrim County Council to Dáil Eireann. See SligoToday.ie 3/9/12

The councillors expenses and salaries revealed today by the Irish Independent.

These payments come on top of the councillor's 'day job' salaries and could be considered high for part-time positions.

Ballymote
Martin Baker (FF)   €25,963
Thomas Collery (FG) €33,088
Pat McGrath (FG) €30,163
Gerard Mullaney (FG) €38,850

Dromore
Mary Barrett (FG)  €27,178
Michael Clarke (Ind) €26,305
Dara Mulvey (FG) €32,367
Joe Queenan (FF) €28,328

Sligo Drumcliffe
Patsy Barry (FF) €31,570
Veronica Cawley (Ind) €30,469
Jude Devins (FF) €34,648
Hubert Keaney (FG) €28,562
Joe Leonard (FG) €44,508
Matt Lyons (FG) €38,519

Sligo Strandhill
Declan Bree (Ind) €34,413
David Cawley (FG) €20,352
Deirdre Healy-McGowan (FF) €25,229
Sean MacManus (SF) €32,128
Jim McGarry (Lab) €35,320
Aoife McLoughlin (FG) €20,087
Rosaleen O'Grady (FF) €35,753

Tubbercurry
Michael Fleming (FG) €47,850
Margaret Gormley (Ind) €27,205
Jerry Lundy (FF) €27,205
Gerry Murray (FG) €28,845

No figures are yet available for Sligo Borough Council elected members however SligoToday.ie understands that although some councillors have a dual mandate to serve on both the borough and county council they are paid only one salary but can claim separate expenses.

The eight dual mandate councillors are; Cllrs Declan Bree, David Cawley, Veronica Cawley, Jim McGarry, Sean MacManus, Rosaleen O'Grady, Matt Lyons and Jude Devins.

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