The council’s Executive will tomorrow (Wednesday, 22 January) launch its budget consultation for 2025 to 2026.

It will seek public feedback on a range of challenging options needed to balance the budget, including possible service cuts and Council Tax increase.

Although the Welsh Government's settlement was better than expected, it is not enough to fully respond to financial demands faced – including salary costs, national insurance, pressures on social care budgets, and investment needed in schools.

To overcome a £10.7m funding gap, the Executive’s budget proposals will seek to:

• cut almost £1.3m from its staffing costs and service budgets
• protect schools’ budgets to meet their increasing costs
• protect trainee budget (£340k) allowing the council to appoint up to 8 new traineeships during 2025 and 2026
• protect children and families’ services budgets to meet additional pressures
• use £2m from its general reserves to help balance the budget
• increase Council Tax by 9.5% (which includes 0.65% to cover the increase in the North Wales Fire Authority Levy)

Council Leader, Councillor Gary Pritchard, said: "No councillor stands for election in order to make cuts or to raise the Council Tax and our overriding aim remains to try to provide Anglesey residents will the best possible services using the resources we have at our disposal."

"Bearing in mind that we've had 14 years of austerity, the settlement received from Welsh Government was a step in the right direction. However, with more money coming to Cardiff from Westminster, we certainly would have hoped for more funding to safeguard those vital services we, and all other local authorities across Wales, provide.”

Councillor Pritchard added, "Despite the increase, it clearly falls short of meeting pressure on council budgets across Wales.”

The Executive’s budget proposals will now be subject to public consultation from Wednesday, 22 January until Friday, 7 February.

Finance and Housing portfolio holder, Councillor Robin Williams, added, “The funding from Welsh Government simply isn’t enough for us to sustain the same levels of service provision and meet the increasing demand for services.”

“We realise that times are tough and that another potential increase in Council Tax won’t be popular. Every local authority in Wales faces the same significant financial challenges in trying to balance the Budget and we do not expect things to get any easier.”

Councillor Williams added, “I would urge residents to make their views known through the consultation process. The feedback provided will help inform the full Council before making a final decision on the 2025 to 2026 budget on 6 March.”

The budget consultation survey will be available online at www.anglesey.gov.wales/budget-2025-2026 and paper copies will also be available at Cyswllt Môn (Council offices in Llangefni), leisure centres and libraries.

Anglesey residents can also email comments to budgetconsultation@anglesey.gov.wales or write to: Budget Consultation 2025/26, Chief Executive’s Office, Isle of Anglesey County Council, Council Offices, Llangefni, LL77 7TW.

Ends 21 January 2025

Notes to editors

The budget consultation will ask residents to:

• identify those services which are most important to them
• say whether they agree or disagreed with savings proposals under consideration in various service areas
• say whether they’d be willing to pay higher fees and charges if it meant protecting services – for example leisure centres
• give their views on a potential 8.85% increase in Council Tax (plus an additional 0.65% to cover the increase in the North Wales Fire Authority Levy), giving a total increase of 9.5%. This would take the Band D charge to £1,721.70, which is an annual increase of £149.40 and a weekly increase of £2.87