TAXPAYERS in Tywyn have been left £11,000 out of pocket thanks to a historical contractual blunder by the local council.

In March, the Cambrian News reported that the Tywyn Spiritualist Church owed thousands of pounds to Tywyn Town Council after failing to pay rent for the council-run Railway Station Buildings which they occupied for several years.

After years of non-payment, councillors claimed the church owed them rent money totalling £22,000.

Speaking at a council meeting in March, Cllr Mike Stevens said: “It’s preposterous really. The council is owed £22,000 but what are we doing to get that money? What are we doing to rectify the situation? We need to take action to get that money back – at least some of it.”

It appears that figure may have been overstated but the council has since admitted that, after seeking legal advice, a debt of £11,000 existed but has subsequently had to be wiped off because of “tragic circumstances” within the Tywyn Spiritualist Church.

The tragic circumstances are believed to be the death of the church’s founder David Kniveton, who died in March this year.

The council also admitted that the agreement they had with the Spiritualist Church, established many years ago, was not legally sound and therefore they were unable to pursue any further action.

Read the full story in this week’s Meirionnydd edition of the Cambrian News