PWLLHELI beach will lose its Blue Flag status, after town councillors decided they will not pay the application costs towards the award.

Gwynedd Council has sent a letter to every town and community council in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd saying the county’s maritime and parks service is unable to meet the cost of beach award applications in 2016.

Instead, the local authority is now asking for town and community councils to make a contribution towards the blue flag application, done through Keep Wales Tidy, for beaches in their areas.

Pwllheli Marian y De (pictured below) currently holds the blue flag award which is handed to beaches and marinas for cleanliness, safety and high quality amenities.

To continue to apply for the award each year Pwllheli Town Council would need to pay £1,188 towards the cost of the application.

However, Cllr Alan Williams said he believed the council shouldn’t contribute towards receiving the award as it ‘wasn’t worth it’.

He said: “I very much welcome having a Blue Flag on the beach in Pwllheli but I don’t think it’s worth the council paying £1,188 to have it.

“I don’t believe more families come to Pwllheli because of the Blue Flag. I don’t think not having it would make any difference.

“I have been using the beach all my life and it’s never affected me whether it has a Blue Flag or not.

“I just don’t think it’s worth it making that sort of contribution.”

See this week’s Arfon/Dwyfor edition for the full story.