Derry and Strabane councillors poorest in North

A tetchy exchange of opinions on the subject of councillors’ pay took place at January’s meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

It was prompted by the decision of Council’s Governance and Strategic Planning Committee not to approve members’ updated Scheme of Allowances - the annual basic allowance councillors receive to enable them to undertake their duties.

Raising the issue, Cllr Paul Gallagher (Independent) said: “This stance of the Governance and Strategic Planning Committee and some parties in here, is creating a position of inequality. It is creating disparity across other councils.

“We are constantly arguing, particularly with the business community, about the lack of investment into this Council area, the West. We are trying to hold the feet of Invest NI to the fire around the median wage and the large disparity between what is paid to in the East compared to the West.

“I believe the stance that some of the parties in here are taking is falling in behind that, falling in behind disparity and falling in behind inequality.

We should not be reinforcing that principle, which has been driven down on the West since the existence of the North on the West. I don’t think we should be doing that,” said Cllr Gallagher.

Commenting on the stance of some Council parties regarding MP and MLA pay, Cllr Gallagher questioned their attitude towards councillors’ pay.

He said: “I see some of the parties in here talking about savings to the public purse, however, if we take it above and we look at MLAs and the 2022/23 expenditures and allowances, they are: Sinead McLaughlin £91,000; Maolíosa McHugh £71,000; Gary Middleton £78,000; Ciara Ferguson £112,000; Padráig Delargy £45,000; Mark Durkan £88,000; and Daniel McCrossan £96,000. Those are MLA allowances and expenses for one year in this district. 

“When we look at MPs in the Council area: Órfhlaith Begley £160,000 and Column Eastwood £325,000,

“If parties wanted to make savings to the public purse, that’s where they should be starting, not tinkering and looking to tell the public about saving £15.00 on WiFi expenses!

“If this Council continues to take this stance, there is going to be a wide gap, not to mention disparity and inequality across councillors in the North. That is what they are reinforcing,” said Cllr Gallagher.

Mayor Patricia Logue (Sinn Fein) interjected that the expenses paid to  MLAs and MPs were “people’s wages”.

“You are talking about rent. It is not actually money going into the MLAs’ pockets. Do you want job cuts?”

Cllr Gallagher countered that £1,400 had been paid for a table, as well as travel and other expenses. “We are not even talking about the £10,000 lying in people’s accounts,” he said.

Cllr Christopher Jackson said: “When we are talking about disparity between east and west, the way it has been framed, the MLAs and MPs who  represent this part of the North have all been democratically elected. 

“As a result of receiving a mandate, they provide constituency services. They run offices, they deliver services who desperately need them in this part of the world. 

“No matter how much jumping up and down Councillor Gallagher does within this chamber, we will not deny the people we represent a first class constituency service. We will fight tooth and nail to ensure any resources available to deliver a constituency service for the people of the city and district are available for people.

“If Cllr Gallagher wants to put up an argument to say we don’t deserve that, I am here all day to listen to him.

Cllr Brian Tierney (SDLP) said he was shocked at the direction in which the debate had gone.

He accused Cllr Gallagher of looking for cheap headlines and only reading the headline of the Committee’s report. 

“People did not reject that paper to save money. It was around the principle of elected representatives voting to increase their own wages. That is why it was shot back.

“There should be an independent body set up to determine pay. Elected representatives should not be voting for their own pay,” said Cllr Tierney. 

Ald Derek Hussey said Derry City and Strabane District Council was the only one in the North that “does not properly reimburse its members”.

He added: “If my colleagues are telling me my contribution as a councillor is not worth as much as my neighbour in Omagh, Mid Ulster or Causeway Coast and Glens, tell me to my face that I do not do as much work as they do.”

Cllr Shaun Harkin (People Before Profit) said for councillors to vote themselves a pay rise was “unacceptable”. 

“We are in a cost of living crisis. Workers are standing on picket lines, losing money, to fight for basic pay rises. For us to vote ourselves an increase is just not acceptable. 

“It is an act of solidarity with workers. There is a perception politicians are at the trough. I am not saying they don’t work hard and their constituency workers don’t work hard as well but when we see MPs getting massive pay rises and huge allowances, there is a perception that’s all Politicians,” said Cllr Harkin.

Cllr Hussey then tabled a motion on the issue. It read: “Council does not accept the proposal from the Committee but that Council approves the updated Scheme of Allowances based on the suggested uplift to the carers allowance element of the suggested scheme of allowances.”

The motion was defeated by 27 votes against, 10 for and 1 abstention.