Gormley rejects claim office of Mayor will cost €8m

MINISTER FOR the Environment John Gormley rejected a claim that the office of the directly elected Lord Mayor of Dublin would cost €8 million over five years.

Fine Gael spokesman Phil Hogan said the estimated cost was contained in documentation from Fingal County Council.

The document also suggested that €1.6 million would have to be provided in the current estimates based on the Minister’s decision to proceed with the office immediately, he added.

“This cost will ultimately need to be borne by the small business sector, the business sector generally and the consumers of services in those local authorities, given that the Minister has said it will need to be funded from existing resources,” Mr Hogan added.

Mr Gormley insisted the document, from which Mr Hogan had quoted, had no basis. “So it is a figment?” said Mr Hogan.

Mr Gormley said a document was presented last month to members of Fingal council.

“The document contained factual inaccuracies, unfounded speculation and offered a hostile perspective on the introduction of a Dublin mayor,” he added.

The document, said Mr Gormley, had considerably overstated anticipated expenditure.

“For example, an estimate of not less than €1 million in consultants’ fees to assist with a mayoral strategy is cited,” he added.

“There is no basis whatsoever to conclude that consultants would even be required to produce such a document.” Mr Gormley said Mr Hogan should bear in mind that the council had issued a press release stating that some personal conjecture regarding the cost of running the mayoral office, and the wide implications of the proposal, was inappropriately contained in the report.

It added that “any confusion or misunderstanding caused is regretted”. Mr Hogan said the council had indicated that 35 to 40 staff would be needed, as well as a ministerial or minister of state salary, a home for the new office holder and a regional authority to support it with the staff that it would require. He urged Mr Gormley to postpone introducing the legislation until 2014. Mr Gormley asked why “in the name of God” would Dublin Chamber of Commerce be so supportive of the legislation setting up the office if it included more charges for business.

Earlier, Mr Gormley said he could state unequivocally that the costs of funding the office and supporting structures would be met from within the local government sector. There would be offsetting savings on functions performed by other bodies and the relatively modest staffing would be drawn from the local government sector.