A CONCERNED community group says it feels that Tywyn might be affected more than most Gwynedd towns should proposed county council cuts take place.

Quentin Deakin, chair of SOS Gwynedd, addressed the Tywyn Town Council earlier this month and pointed out that residents would regularly face 70-mile round trips for basic services should the county council implement its proposed cuts.

Residents of the coastal town would be forced to drive all the way to Harlech for their nearest (Gwynedd-based) recycling centre or swimming pool.

Mr Deakin conceded that Machynlleth services are closer but claimed they should not be counted as “Gwynedd residents should not be forced to rely on another local authority’s facilities”.

The chair of the SOS Gwynedd, a group established to save council services, added that certain facilities like swimming pools and public toilets have been commonplace “since the end of the 19th century” and that they “form an essential part of civilised society”.

Mr Deakin said: “Do we really want to go back more than hundred years? It’s imperative we keep these services for both residents and tourists.

“The county council is acting like libraries and swimming pools are luxury items but they’re not.

“Pools are used by everyone, from children to pensioners, who are able to stay fit and healthy because of the facility. Additionally it’s safe - children don’t have to swim in the sea which as we all know can be dangerous.”

Mr Deakin also pointed out a lack of alternative options for residents and tourists should local services be shut down.

“The public toilets adjacent to the Leisure Park in Tywyn are particularly well used in the summer season by tourists,” he added. “There is no other public or private alternative at that end of the promenade, it can’t be allowed to close.”

A spokesperson for Gwynedd Council said: “No decisions have been taken as yet, with the responses currently being collated and analysed before a report on the results is published in the new year so that the feedback can be carefully considered by all Gwynedd councillors before they come to a decision on which services the council will unfortunately have no option but to cut from April 2016 onwards.”