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Rs. 135 million paid every month to 8,691 local council members
More than Rs. 135 million in public funds is paid every month to 8,691 newly elected members of local councils, a senior official of the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government said.
He said that according to a circular, a mayor was paid Rs 30,000 as allowance every month, Deputy Mayors Rs 25,000, Urban Council Chairman Rs 25,000, Deputy UC Chairman Rs 20,000, Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Rs 25,000, Deputy Chairman Rs 20,000, and other members Rs 15,000.
In addition to the basic allowance, the elected members are also entitled to allowances for transport, telephone and stamp fees, depending on the council’s revenue generation. The elected bodies have also been vested with powers to form sub committees on various subjects such as health, finance and education. For each sitting, a councilor could claim between Rs 550 and Rs 1,500.
Accordingly, a Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) member gets Rs 33,500 as the total allowance, though a Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) member receives only Rs 20,000.
This government expenditure for allowances is allocated separately in addition to the Rs 3,970 million for various projects such as development assistance for backward local authorities, strengthening local government, rural roads, library development and solid waste management, according to the financial unit of the ministry.
The Ministry said it has allocated Rs 606.35 million to cover the cost of allowances for elected members of local bodies while the remaining money would have to be obtained from revenue generated by the councils.