Welshpool Town Council will be paying back missed pension payments to Powys County Council until 2040, after it emerged the council owes £173,000.

At a meeting of Welshpool Town Council, held on November 22, the minutes from the council’s Financial Committee revealed that the council owed £173,000 in missed pension payments, which the council blamed on past mismanagement.  

The shortfall was revealed as the full council heard a series of appended minutes from various committees, such as that of finance who held their last meeting on November 15.

In the meeting, chair of the finance committee, Cllr Ben Gwalchmai, explained the situation and said the council’s finance officer would be liaising with Powys County Council and would request the latest figures before reporting back to the December meeting, with the finance officer.

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This explanation was given in response to Cllr Phil Pritchard questioning if the town council owed anything to Powys County Council in regard to a pension shortfall as well as if the details of this figure had been calculated.

The minutes also noted that the town council had paid £5,925 had been paid to Powys County Council regarding the pension shortfall.

After requesting figures be brought forward in time for the full council meeting, Cllr Gwalchmai confirmed at the December meeting that the town council will be paying the shortfall back over the next 16 years, as Powys Council had agreed to let the town council pay it back rather than take them to court.

Cllr Gwalchmai said: “Having received confirmation on the figure we owe Powys County Council, we can confirm that, including interest, Welshpool Town Council will likely be paying that back until 2040.”