Councillors to be paid: Dion

Ward councillors throughout the country will soon be paid their outstanding monthly allowances, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Inter-Government Relations Sir Leo Dion says.
In a statement yesterday, Sir Leo said he had received some funds from the departments of Finance and Treasury.
He said payments would be done  after the cheque was cleared by the bank.
“We will pay directly into the personal bank accounts of the councillors. Two lots of payments will be done at a rate of K400 per month,” Sir Leo said.
“Councillors that missed out on payments last year will receive K4800 for the period from January to December. Those that missed out this year will be paid K1200 for the period of January to March.”
He commended the councillors for their patience.
Sir Leo said despite the non-payment of allowances, the councillors had gained the confidence and trust of their people by continuing to provide leadership in their communities.
“As we receive more funding in the near future, others will be paid including the deputy presidents,” he said.
“All women representatives will be paid by the respective LLGs on the same rate as per the directive by the department.”
Sir Leo said unlike previous governments, the O’Neill-led government listened to the cries of the ward councillors by introducing policies to adequately address their welfare.