FORMER chairman of Fermanagh District Council, Alex Baird has clocked up the largest payment in salary and expenses among local councillors in the last year.

Mr. Baird, an Ulster Unionist councillor, was paid £24,417.80, a combination of his salary, payments for his attendance at certain meetings, expenses and travel allowance.

Rosemary Barton, Mr. Baird’s UUP colleague, received the second highest payment in salary and expenses during the last year, totalling £21,702.99, followed by Councillor Stephen Huggett who received £20,409.53.

The Sinn Fein representative, from Garrison, received the most travel expenses in the last year, taking home £5,843.66, followed by Mr. Baird with £5,672.36, Mrs. Barton with £5,704.25, and Sinn Fein’s Ruth Lynch with £5,310.03.

In breaking down Mr. Baird’s expenses, figures show that the Erne West representative was paid £5,634.36 as part of the Council’s special responsibility allowance. Mr. Baird, Mrs. Barton, Ms. Lynch and Mr. Huggett were also paid £1,800 each for sitting on the Statutory Transition Committee, which works towards preparing for the new Super Council, as were Sinn Fein’s Brian McCaffrey and, Thomas O’Reilly, the DUP’s Paul Robinson and the SDLP’s Brendan Gallagher.

While 12 of the 23 councillors did not make any claims for out of pocket expenses, the SDLP’s John O’Kane claimed back 80 pence, and Mr. McCaffrey claimed back £7.50, though it is not quite clear what these particular claims were for.

Some of the councillors have also received payments in the last year for taking part in meetings of the Fermanagh Policing and Community Safety Partnership, including Mrs. Barton, the former chairwoman of the group, who received £1,860, followed by the UUP’s Harold Andrews with £1,080 and Mr. Baird with £1,020.

Bert Johnston - £12,832.75 John O’Kane - £14,194.91 Harold Andrews - £14,914.37 Basil Johnston - £11,486.41 Brian McCaffrey - £18,963.99 Ruth Lynch - £16,765.54 Frank Britton - £11,097.68 Robert Irvine - £12,567.78 Thomas O’Reilly - £18,222.93 Alex Baird - £24,417.80 Paul Robinson - £17,456.62 Bernice Swift - £10,941.96 Cyril Brownlee - £14,555.09 Alison Brimstone (former councillor) - £9,099.50 Raymond Farrell - £11,176.86 Brendan Gallagher - £15,454.49 Rosemary Barton - £21,702.99 Debbie Coyle - £14,711.93 Barry Doherty - £12,796.18 Sheamus Greene - £11,364.62 Frankie Rice (former councillor) - £9,472.84 Stephen Huggett - £20,409.53 Thomas Maguire - £11,440.47 Keith Elliott (new councillor) - £528.76 Martin McGovern (new councillor) - £475.89