Politics
Legal Bills 0.5% of Budget
The figure was revealed following a question from councillor Stephen Pitts.
As Douglas ratepayers picked up over £200,000 in legal bills last year, the authority says the amount paid over the last five years is a tiny percentage of its annual budget.
The figure was revealed following a question from councillor Stephen Pitts.
For each of the last five years, the Council paid: 2018/2019 – £175,601.02; 2019/2020 – £214,403.36; 2020/2021 – £228,907.58; 2021/2022 – £129,153.17; and 2022/2023 – £201,335.01.
This was spread across three law firms.
A Council spokesperson said: ‘As the island’s largest local authority, there is naturally a list of potential matters which arise where we need to seek legal advice or support.
‘They are wide ranging and can include tenancy matters, debt recovery, contractual matters, conveyancing and, from time to time, court or tribunal cases where the Council requires specialist legal advice and/or representation to ensure the interests of the Council and its ratepayers are best represented.
‘Unlike government departments, Douglas City Council does not have recourse to the Attorney General’s Chambers. Over the last five years, the amount paid to external advocates amounts to £190,000 annually, which based on the Council’s Gross Revenue Spend, equates to 0.56% on legal fees.’
