Lord mayor says ‘ministerial-style’ mayoral salaries should be rejected

The Lord Mayor of Cork City, Mick Finn, has called on the Government not to give directly elected mayors “ministerial-style” salaries of up to €130,000, if the new system is introduced. He says the funds should be used elsewhere.

The minister of state for local government, John Paul Phelan, is due to bring a memo to cabinet next week, outlining plans for mayors in larger local authorities to be paid more than those in smaller areas, if the public votes for the new system in May.