Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Again, in recognising the role local authority members play, there must be a recognition from the political system that their workload has increased, the nature of their work has changed and there is a real need to have a conversation on how to support and pay public representatives at local level. Unfortunately, there is an unwillingness to tackle the issue because of a fear of what people might think or of what journalists might write. In the case of our local elected representatives, there is a need to make a decision and stick by it. They deserve to be supported irrespective of what political party they are in or if they are Independent.