AROUND £22,000 was spent covering councillors’ expenses and allowances in Renfrewshire in the last year, writes Jack Thomson.
Figures released this week showed the total amount claimed by the 43 elected members in 2018/19 was £22,253.01.
This was on top of salaries totalling £798,473.
FIND OUT WHERE YOUR COUNCILLORS RANKED
All councils have a statutory requirement to publish information on councillors’ salaries and expenses in respect of the previous financial year.
Councillors can claim for car mileage, other travel expenses, the cost of training and conferences, subsistence costs and telephone and information communication technology (ICT) bills
The councillor with the highest recorded expenses was Provost Lorraine Cameron at £8,250.33 – the vast majority of this being travel related at £8,044.08. She also had a civic allowance of £344.46.
In her role as civic head, she regularly attends business events, local charity bashes and supports community groups.
READ MORE: Every councillor and party ranked by expenses claimed in Renfrewshire
The second highest claim was made by Councillor James MacLaren, amounting to £1,721.90.
He was followed by Councillor John Hood at £1,237.91 and Councillor Jim Sharkey at £1,125.53.
The smallest amount claimed was by maverick Councillor Paul Mack at just £48, relating to phone and ICT costs.
A similarly low amount was attributed to Councillor Will Mylet at £95.11.
A number of councillors had similarly low costs met by the council, across all of the political parties.
Two councillors in John McIntyre and Alistair Mackay chose once again not to claim their salaries of £16,994 for 2018/19.
A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said: “Reasonable travelling, subsistence and ICT expenses are provided to elected members in order that they can fulfil their role as effectively as possible, with the amount of members’ remuneration and expenses and the arrangements for paying them governed by legislation.
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“As part of the Provost’s role as the civic head of Renfrewshire, she visits every community in the area to welcome visitors and meet and reward local charities, businesses, community groups and volunteers, attending hundreds of events throughout the year as she promotes Renfrewshire as a great place to live, work, visit and invest in.
“This incurs a degree of travel costs which are met by the council to allow the Provost to carry out this prestigious role.”
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