Council row over expenses payback

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Some former councillors are refusing to pay back mileage expenses mistakenly overpaid to them by a county council.

The overpayments to 90 councillors, totalling £17,000, were discovered in a internal audit at Gwynedd Council.

Some of those overpaid say they will not pay the money back because it was not their mistake.

A council spokesman said most of those affected had been contacted over the phone and "nearly every one of them" had agreed to pay the money back.

The local authority had been paying the councillors up to 46.9p per mile when they should have received 40p per mile.

The overpayment affects 65 of the current 75 councillors and 25 former councillors.

I feel very strongly about it, it's not the amount, even if it was £20 I'd refuse to pay it back Morgan Vaughan, former councillor

"I'm not paying it back," said former councillor, and local authority chairman, Morgan Vaughan from Tywyn in south Gwynedd, who received a bill for £381.91.

"I don't see why I have to, and anyway where have they been for the past four years (when the overpayments took place)."

Mr Vaughan said the council had little chance of claiming the money back from any former councillors, whereas those still serving could have the money clawed back by reducing their current allowances.

He had honestly claimed for what he was due, he said.

"I travelled from Tywyn, a round trip of 123 or 124 miles, countless times over the years, thousands of miles a year for the council.

Car share

"Often three or four of us would travel together to save everyone running a car, which saved the council money.

"I feel very strongly about it, it's not the amount, even if it was £20 I'd refuse to pay it back," he added.

Another former councillor who agrees with Mr Vaughan's decision is Michael Sol Owen from Pwllheli.

He told BBC Radio Cymru's Taro'r Post programme that he had undertaken more journeys on council business than he had ever claimed.

"If I went back three years and claimed for all the journeys I made without claiming them, would the council pay me, I don't think so," he said.

'Hard work'

"Would a business claim money back from its employees - and we were employees of the council in this instance.

"I think if that happened the employee would put the letter in the bin."

Mr Owen said he believed the mistake should either be covered by those responsible, or absorbed by the council.

"I believe I put in 21 years of hard work for the public and the council.

"Now they want to claim back £200. Well if they do that I will claim for all the journeys I didn't claim for before," he said.

A spokesman for the council said the mistake was "no fault of any individual councillor".

"Even so, we have contacted most of the councillors and former councillors over the phone, and nearly all of them say they are willing to pay the money back," he added.