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Anglesey council's financial outlook 'remains bleak'

BBC Anglesey council leader Llinos MediBBC
Anglesey council leader Llinos Medi said the authority was in a "stark position"

The financial outlook of Anglesey council "remains bleak", according to its leader.

Councillor Llinos Medi said the authority has had to save £19m over the last five years and could have to save another £8m over the next three.

Rising costs and less Welsh Government funding would mean a "significant financial gap", she said.

The Welsh Government said it had taken action to protect councils from "deep" UK government cuts.

The council's executive is due to consider its medium term financial plan on 18 September.

A formal public consultation on the 2018/19 budget will take place later this year.

The Welsh Government's provisional settlement for local authorities is unveiled in October.

Last year it announced a total of £4.1bn in funding for Wales' 22 local councils - an increase of £3.8m on 2016-17.

'Stark position'

Anglesey's £92.3m budget was up 0.3% on the previous year but 10 councils saw cuts.

Ms Medi said: "We'll have to change the way in which some services are delivered; and there could also be an increase to fees and another above inflation council tax increase.

"These are not messages that we want to hear, but this is the stark position Anglesey and every other local authority in Wales is in."

"We will continue to prioritise services we have a legal duty to provide, like social services and education, but cuts of this scale will, undoubtedly, have an impact on all services we provide to the people of Anglesey."

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "We recognise councils across Wales are facing challenges but we have taken action to protect them from the impact of the deep cuts the UK government has made to our budget since 2010-11."

The local government settlement had provided "much-needed stability in uncertain times", she added.

"We are all working against a backdrop of ongoing austerity from the UK government, which has resulted in cuts across the public sector. In the face of these, it is important we work together to ensure essential services are maintained and strengthened."