Summer schools concerned over cap on councillors' spending

SUMMER SCHOOLS across the country have expressed concern at a decision to cap the amount of money councillors can spend on “conferences, seminars, other meetings or events”.

Summer schools and conferences have long survived on the registration fees provided by members of the State’s 29 county councils, five city councils and 80 borough and town councils.

But Minister for the Environment John Gormley has used his powers under Section 142 of the Local Government Act 2001 to set new limits as low as €1,000 a year, for members of smaller councils.

Director of the McGill Summer School in Co Donegal Joe Mulholland said his committee was “certainly dependent on the registration fees for our financing to a considerable extent”.

He said the MacGill Summer School receives registration fees of about €150 each from about 150 councillors, figures which would provide income of €22,500.

“It does affect us” said Dr Mulholland, who maintained the school had to “bring out the begging bowl every year” and was very dependent on a small grant from Donegal County Council and the generosity of patrons such as Glen Dimplex.

Dr Mulholland said he hoped councillors would see the school as relevant to their work, particularly as this year the theme would be reform of the political, social, economic and educational systems.

Cllr George Jones, who runs the La Touche Legacy Seminar in Co Wicklow, said he too was hoping councillors would be discerning – particularly as the La Touche seminar is held in October, one of the last “summer schools” of the season.

The La Touche Legacy seminar attracts about 100 councillors at a registration fee of €195, netting about €19,500 he said, adding “if they don’t come we wouldn’t be able to hold it”.

Michael Fitzgerald, cathaoirleach of the Association of City and County Councils, said there was no doubt there would not be as much money to go around this year.

Councillors would have to be selective, he said.

Under the new regulations the most that can be spent on such conferences by councils is €4,700 per member of a city or county council.

The limit for a borough or large town council is €3,000 per member, per year, while for town councils it is generally €2,000.

For the smaller town councils which were formerly town commissioners the limit is just €1,000 per member a year.

But the figure for conferences and seminars must include councillors’ claims for mileage or other travel and subsistence.

However, the reduction does not affect separate payments to councillors for attending ordinary meetings of their own council, nor does it affect their annual stipend of some €17,000 a year.