Chairman Grétar Ingi Erlendsson under scrutiny for undisclosed shares in Bakkamel ehf. amidst Ölfus master plan amendment

The chairman of the Ölfus Town Council, Grétar Ingi Erlendsson, holds shares in a company, Bakkamel ehf., which is seeking to amend the municipality’s master plan to construct 95 apartments. This development is proposed for an area known as Bakkamelur, located along the road between Þorlákshöfn and Hveragerði.

Two minority representatives in Ölfus, Gunnsteinn Ómarsson and Ása Berglind Hjálmarsdóttir, expressed that they were unaware of Grétar Ingi’s stake in the company during discussions on the master plan amendment, which aims to nearly quadruple the number of apartments on the site from 25 to 95.

Grétar Ingi stepped away from a council meeting due to conflicts related to his employer, Einar Sigurðsson, whose properties are where the new apartments are intended to be built. Grétar Ingi states he did not think it necessary to disclose his shareholding in Bakkamel, believing it was sufficient to mention his connection to the company. Consequently, the minority representatives were unaware of his financial stake when they voted on the planning amendments, and they found this revelation surprising.

In his responses, Grétar Ingi asserted that no one had questioned him about his connections to the company and reaffirmed that his role as an elected representative did not interfere with his commercial activities. He also pointed out that most council members engage in some form of business alongside their political duties, which he considers entirely normal and legal.