Madam,

Dwyfor Meironnydd Labour Party deplores the closure of our tourist information centres.

This is what the politics of austerity looks like on the ground - a vital service, used by locals and tourists alike, is now lost.

Gwynedd’s tourist sector is the biggest source of income to the county and the starting point for many tourists arriving in the area is the tourist information centre.

Imagine Stratford-upon-Avon, York or Chester without a centre where tourists can book accommodation, find information about the area’s attractions, pick up on the local knowledge that no computer screen can provide or simply get hold of a town map.

So it should be with Caernarfon, Barmouth and Porthmadog, gateway to world-famous destinations like Harlech Castle, Caernarfon Castle, Portmeirion, Snowdon, the Ffestiniog railway and Barmouth Bridge. These are now to be deprived of the most basic of tourist-friendly facilities.

In an area where jobs aren’t plentiful, these closures will also incur job losses.

Shame on you George Osborne and David Cameron, for your austerity regime. Shame on you prime minister Theresa May for not reversing these cuts and putting your money where your mouth is. You have put Gwynedd Council in an impossible position, making cuts that no-one wants to make or should be making.

Yours etc,

Quentin Deakin for Dwyfor Meironnydd Labour Party.

Have your say on the local issues affecting you - email [email protected] or join in the conversation on our Facebook page