Councillor wages war on payslips

COUNCILS across the country are being asked to give up sending paper payslips and go digital in the wake of a project initiated by Independent councillor Geraldine Donohoe.

On becoming a first-term councillor in Galway, Ms Donohoe said she was ‘flabbergasted to receive shortly afterwards a payslip by post’ and thought it was an environmental waste.

She said this was ‘surprising given that the rest of the council documentation was sent by e-mail’. She added: ‘It was a classic example of there being too much of taxes and theory in politics and not enough practical action.’

The ongoing tradition is surprising given the declared intention of councils and local government to reduce waste, the commitment of all parties to e-government and Green concerns over the consequences to the rainforest of excessive paper use.

But councillors have now been persuaded to give up their old payslips when, at the last Galway County Council meeting, Ms Donohoe proposed that it agree to have all payslips electronically distributed to councillors and staff.

The council was also asked to discontinue the use of payslips being printed and posted on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.

Ms Donohoe also suggested that cost savings in administration, printing, paper, and postage recouped should be redistributed to the environmental section of each council.

The newly-elected councillor also proposed that, if agreed in Galway, a copy of the motion would be circulated to all 31 local authorities.

The motion was slightly amended with an opt-out preference for those that still want to receive their payslip in the post as they may not have the technology to receive it electronically.

Ms Donohoe said: ‘We are not telling other councils what to do but we are providing them with the option. A lot of councils have been planning to end the practice for years.’