Council faces refund call over £1.2m underspend

Anglesey council is expected to underspend by £1.2m this year, leading to a call for taxpayers to be refunded

A council projected to underspend by £1.2m this year has faced a call to give its taxpayers a "refund".

It follows two even larger budget surpluses by Anglesey council totalling £10.2m over three years, a scrutiny committee heard on Wednesday.

The council's opposition leader claimed residents were being "overcharged" on their council tax.

But the council said years of uncertainty had impacted its finances.

The committee was told the Plaid Cymru-led council had surpluses of £4.8m and £4.2m in the two previous financial years.

That is on top of the expected £1.2m underspend for 2022/23, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“They have been overcharging the people of Ynys Mon for years," the Liberal Democrat councillor and opposition group leader Aled Morris Jones claimed.

"They should refund them," he added.

Anglesey council blamed years of "unprecedented change, demands and uncertainties"

The deputy leader and finance portfolio holder, Robin Williams, blamed years of “unprecedented change, demands and uncertainties", including Covid lockdowns, the cost of living crisis and the conflict in Ukraine.

But he said despite the underspends, "balanced decisions" had been taken to "maintain service provision and place the council in the best possible position to respond to current and future challenges”.

Anglesey’s council tax for 2023/24 will be the sixth lowest in Wales, the committee was also told.