LLG presidents: Settle councillors’ allowance

 THE 19 local level government presidents in Madang have told the provincial government to settle outstanding allowances for ward councillors quickly.

Gama LLG president David Bepang said the 14 ward councillors were yet to receive their full monthly allowance of K200 for 2012.

Gama LLG chief executive officer Nichodemus Ingel said they received some help from the national grants for projects under an arrangement to recover that amount from the provincial grant.

“We used that project money to pay K1,800 to each ward councillor excluding the ward recorders and land mediators,” Ingel said.

He said the allowances for four months in 2012 were still outstanding while the whole of 2011 and 2013 also needed to be settled in full.

Nahurawa LLG president Alex Aramba said he faced the same problem. 

His chief executive officer Simon Gangum said that the allowances were included in the annual budget but this year they received only K9,500 in the first quarter which was not enough to pay all ward councillors, recorders and land mediators. 

Gangum said the lack of revenue for the province was causing the problem.