Panel to say if double jobbing councillors are to get double pay

A SPECIAL pay committee has yet to decide if Londonderry councillors elected to a new Londonderry and Strabane shadow council to be formed new year will be paid twice.
Derry City Council offices.Derry City Council offices.
Derry City Council offices.

Local Government Minister Alex Attwood said he was against the notion of double incomes for double-jobbers.

The new shadow council will run alongside the existing Derry City and Strabane District Council’s from 2014.

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Whilst existing councils will continue to collect your bin and maintain your swimming pool, the new shadow council will strike the rate and prepare the business and corporate plans for the first year of the newly-merged North West authority in 2015.

Mr Attwood said he expected lots of serving politicians to be elected to the new shadow council.

“It is likely that many existing councillors will be elected to the new councils in 2014, and will thus hold a dual role during the shadow period.

“The intention is that new and re-elected councillors operating during the shadow period will build upon the work of the statutory transition committees and perform a limited number of functions for the purpose of enabling the new councils to discharge fully all

of their functions from April 1, 2015,” he said.

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Although the established councils will carry out the day-to-day work of providing essential service to ratepayers, shadow councillors will carry out some important tasks whilst preparing for the new era.

“The newly elected members of the new councils will, during the shadow period, prepare themselves to adopt their full range of powers and responsibilities on April 1, 2015, by undertaking key preparatory tasks such as the striking of the rate for the first financial year of the new council and agreeing a corporate and business plan for the new council,” said Mr Attwood.

The Minister said new legislation will bar politicians from double jobbing.

He said he will be asking a remuneration panel appointed to make recommendations on councillor pay to make sure it fairly reflects the roles and responsibilities of councillors.

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“I have made it clear that I do not consider that where there are double mandates there should be double incomes. Of course, it is for the remuneration committee to make recommendations,” he explained.