HYWEL Dda Health Board has cleared a debt of over £700,000 it owed to Ceredigion County Council, but still owes the authority around £250,000, it has emerged.

While the council and health board have said they will work together to ensure all debts are paid, Cllr Alun Lloyd Jones has insisted that, with the council making a string of unpopular service cuts, the health board’s debt needs to be addressed urgently, and even suggested that service cuts could have potentially been avoided if the debts had been paid earlier.

More than £700,000 was paid by the health board to the council in January, but a council spokesperson confirmed that there is still around £250,000 outstanding.

The spokesperson said: “Ceredigion council has worked closely with Hywel Dda to resolve these matters and acknowledges that the process delays which caused the issues are being addressed.

“The council will continue to work collaboratively with Hywel Dda on ensuring that all outstanding invoices are paid promptly. The figure remaining is in the region of £250,000.”

But Ceredigion councillor Alun Lloyd Jones said that allowing the health board to run up significant debts through not making payments to the health board was hitting the council’s ability to fund council services.

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