Council picks up €300,000 conferences bill since 2007

Westmeath county councillors have racked up expenses for attending conferences and seminars of just under €300,000 since 2007. Returns submitted by the council to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government last month, show that €293,242 was paid out in expenditure in the 33-month period from January 2007 to September 2009. And if the council's budgeted expenditure for the remainder of the year materialises, it will have spent some €355,000 in the three years. The figures do not include other expenses associated with members' regular work as councillors, or the representational payment (salary) which last year stood at €17,604. The figures show that in 2007, the councillors received a total of €133,460 in expenses for conferences, seminars and training. €31,034 related to fees for such events. Another €98,345 was accounted for in domestic travel and subsistence, while the remaining €4,081 was accounted for in foreign travel and subsistence. Last year, a slightly lower figure of €122,265 was spent by the council on conferences and seminars. And this year, by the end of September, another €37,517 had been spent to date. Westmeath County Council has confirmed that it has sent the Department of the Environment all expense claims details made by councillors over the last three years. However, a spokesperson said he believed that councillors only claimed what they were owed and there were no extravagant claims. "The fees in terms of attending conferences and travel subsistence claims, in terms of what is claimed by councillors relative to other counties is fairly low. We would be in the bottom seven or eight," said the Senior Executive Officer of Corporate Services, Roibeard " Ceallaigh.