In recent months, thousands of people across the Avondhu area have rallied behind their local Leader companies at public meetings and rallies in the hopes of swaying Minister Phil Hogan’s decision to align the companies with local authorities.

This week, The Irish Independent revealed the staggering salaries of some of the companies’ CEO’s, with a statement from the Department of Environment saying that the proposed changes will ensure that the maximum anount of funding is spent on community projects and ‘not wasted on unnecessary duplication and admistrative costs’.

According to their figures, of the 50 non profit local development companies across the country, the salaries of the CEO’s range from €102,000 down to €48,000.

Within The Avondhu readership area, the highest salary is earned by Carmel Fox, the CEO of Ballyhoura Development Ltd who earns €91,713 and this is the 13th highest salary across the Leader companies.

Meanwhile, €84,591 is the sum earned by Valerie Murphy, the CEO of Avondhu Blackwater Partnership and Niall Morrissey of the South Tipperary Development Company has an annual salary of €74,870.