Madam,

Councillor Louise Hughes’ claim that Tywyn is “plagued by a gang of ‘boy racers’” is a gross exaggeration. Tywyn is not Chicago! This kind of comment is harmful to the reputation of Tywyn, whose residents are justifiably proud of their town.

I have lived and visited towns much further away where this is fair comment. It happens in Tywyn too and yes, it is irresponsible, anti-social behaviour which needs to be followed up firmly when reported.

The chronic under-funding of the police force in Wales and throughout the UK is the key reason why communities everywhere are unhappy that the police aren’t always round the corner when we want them. But it’s literally a matter of “can’t be there”, not “we don’t want to be there”.

As a Brexit candidate at the next election, Cllr Hughes’s natural allies will be the Conservative Party, the very same people who voted for austerity cuts in every public service, the police included. The leader of the Brexit Referendum Campaign, Boris Johnson, now seeks to curry favour by ‘bunging a fiver’ at the boys and girls in blue, yet he too was a minister in the Tory-Liberal coalition that brought in these cuts.

Yours etc, Quentin Deakin Tywyn town councillor, Corbett Avenue, Tywyn.

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