SECOND home owners on Anglesey will face a 75 percent council premium rise whilst the levy on empty homes will be 100%.
It comes as the island’s Full Council accepted its plan for a 5% council tax increase – one of the lowest in Wales.
The Full Council formally adopted its final budget of £172.548m, on Thursday, March 9.
The plans had been outlined during a meeting of the executive on March 2.
It means a weekly increase of £1.31 on an average Band D bill.
The Council Tax bill also includes the North Wales Police and Community Council precepts.
The meeting also supported proposals to raise second home council tax premium to 75% and the empty property council tax premium to 100%.
The Full Council approved the Council Tax increase as part of proposals to protect front-line services over the coming 12 months.
The final Budget for 2023/24 also includes services cuts of more than £700,000, and using more than £3.7m in reserve balances.
The council say rising energy costs and inflation; greater service demands; a potential pay increase for staff agreed nationally and potentially less funding from Welsh Government in years ahead, were all considered in preparing the balanced budget for 2023/24.
The final decision came after months of deliberations.
Council Leader, Councillor Llinos Medi, said: “We have already spent a decade trying to defend local residents and communities in the face of severe funding cuts.”
“We face significant financial challenges in both 2023/24 and 2024/25, with costs still expected to rise due to inflation and increased service demand.
“Unfortunately, there is little prospect that the funding we receive from Welsh Government, via the UK Government, will be enough to cover all o increases in costs.”
“This is a budget which will allow us to protect front-line services and meet the growing demand on Adults’ and Children’s Services, and prevent homelessness.”
She added: “As Council Leader, I lead our response to the cost-of-living crisis and am well aware of the impact the increase in inflation, interest and borrowing rates, and mortgage costs are having on the people of Anglesey, communities, organisations and businesses.”
“In response, this 5% increase will ensure our Council Tax bill remains the lowest in North Wales and one of the lowest throughout Wales.
“We have used more of our reserves to ensure that the Council Tax increase is kept as low as possible.
“Our budget will also continue to protect front-line services, which are delivered by our dedicated staff, to safeguard some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
The Full Council agreed that funding from the general reserves should be used to meet a possible pay increase agreed nationally for Council staff in 2023/24 – rather than having to find more efficiency savings, which would impact services, or raising Council Tax above 5%.
Finance portfolio holder, Cllr Robin Williams said the local government still faced “significant financial challenges.”
Cllr Williams said: “Sadly, there is no magic hat we can use to pull more money out of.
“It is only through prudent and careful financial management we can ensure a balanced Budget this year. With our financial position unlikely to improve next year either, we face even greater challenges ahead.”
“We will continue our approach of utilising a sensible mix of efficiency savings, careful use of reserves and keeping Council Tax increases as low as possible.
Cllr Llinos Medi thanked the Council’s Corporate Scrutiny Committee for its “valuable input” into the lengthy budget deliberation process.
