Cork’s next lord mayor to be paid more than Polish PM

THE next lord mayor of Cork, who takes up office next week, will be paid more than the Polish prime minister.

Figures released yesterday showed that Labour councillor Michael Ahern, who is due to be elected Cork’s first citizen under a pact next Monday night, will have a basic lord mayor’s allowance of €1,580.82 per week — over €82,202.64 per annum — making him one of the highest paid mayors in the country.

The salary of his driver is not included.

Polish prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is paid €50,000, according to the Hay Report last year on the pay of senior European government figures.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero is paid €87,552 per annum.

The Dublin lord mayor’s allowance is €63,000 a year.

In Galway, the mayoral allowance is €43,800, but a council spokesman said the mayor must also pay for any entertainment expenses out of that. Current mayor Niall Ó Brolcháin, has spent just half of that on entertainment this year, the spokesman said.

In Limerick, Mayor Diarmuid Scully was paid €60,849 this year.

In Cork, the mayor can top up his pay by at least another €25,000 if he claims everything he is entitled to as a councillor.

Mr Ahern, like the city’s 30 other councillors, is entitled to claim a representational payment of €1,196.92 every four weeks, monthly expenses up to a maximum of €489.59, and conference and travel expenses of €5,280 for the year.

The amount being paid to Cork’s first citizen was described last night as “obscene” by Socialist Party councillor Mick Barry.

“It is scandalous that the lord mayor of Cork will be paid more for a ceremonial position than some European prime ministers,” he said.

Mr Ahern, who lectures in Cork Institute of Technology, and who will have to take time off work to take up the role of mayor, was unavailable for comment last night.