South Ostrobothnia council meeting incurs over €50,000 in costs

During a lengthy regional council meeting on Monday, South Ostrobothnia’s welfare area faced a staggering bill exceeding €50,000. The session featured multiple discussions and votes on significant matters, particularly the restructuring of service networks that will determine the future provision of social and healthcare services. In total, 15 votes were conducted throughout the nearly eleven-hour meeting, which resulted in approximately €47,000 in fees being paid to council members.

There are 59 representatives in South Ostrobothnia, each receiving around €800 for their participation. According to the welfare area’s administrative director, Regina Ollila, the base meeting fee is €200, with an additional €100 for every hour of attendance. The meeting lasted 10 hours and 47 minutes, excluding breaks, which means the actual meeting time was just over nine hours.

In addition to the meeting fees, travel costs are estimated at around €2,500, while other expenses include compensation for income loss and catering for the meeting. The fee structure is outlined in the administrative regulations from 2022, which are expected to be reviewed during the current council term, though it is unclear if meeting compensation will be part of that discussion.

According to Yle, regional councils across Finland spend over €14 million on meeting fees. On an annual basis, these fees range from a maximum of €19,000 to a minimum of €4,000 per representative. South Ostrobothnia ranked fifth in the report, with costs totaling €12,906 per representative, taking into account fees for council, board, and committee meetings. The overall sum is divided by the number of representatives in each area for comparative purposes.