Councillor who has no car claimed €4,000 mileage expenses

A FULL investigation may be launched into revelations that a Galway City Councillor who doesn’t own a car or driving licence claimed more than €4,000 in mileage expenses for driving to conferences.Cllr Michael Crowe (FF) has demanded that the local authority probes the expenses of Labour’s Cllr Billy Cameron, who claimed mileage for travelling to conferences all over Ireland in 2007 and 2008 despite being unable to drive – reopening a controversy that flared during the local elections in June.Cllr Cameron did not own a car or driving licence when he claimed the mileage money – he cited a Hyundai car on his expenses’ claim forms. The car was owned by his brother Jerome, who had driven him to the conferences. It later emerged that the car in question did not have an up-to-date road tax disc or a current NCT. Cllr Cameron, who topped the poll in the City Central Ward in the local election despite the potentially damaging expenses allegations emerging during the campaign, had claimed €4,028 in total for mileage for conferences. When contacted by this newspaper yesterday, Cllr Cameron declined to comment other than to say, “if it comes up in the (Council) Chamber, or any other forum, I will address it”.In June Cllr Cameron said instead of using public transport, he paid his brother to drive him to the conferences, which he had been told was “totally legal”.The issue had...