Protester is all ears after loos closure verdict
AC A MPAIGNER took to the streets armed with a megaphone and a giant pair of ‘ears’ in protest at a decision to not reopen Peel Street’s loos.
Cheryl Duffy got on her soapbox around Accrington town centre as she called on the council to listen to 2,000 people who signed a petition for the toilets to be reinstated seven days a week.
Town centre bosses have also this week ruled out introducing an alternative Community Toilet Scheme, because they ‘simply do not have the funding’.
Cheryl, who runs Acorns of Lancashire cleaners on Whalley Road, said the council was ‘failing it its duty of care to listen’ and that Labour had previously supported calls to reopen the toilets back in 2011.
Cheryl said: “We have to get theatrical to get listened to. If you don’t get theatrical they will totally ignore you.
“I have had lots of extremely positive comments and everyone saying ‘well done’. The council haven’t got any listening ears so I decided to get some myself.”
Speaking to shoppers on Tuesday, Cheryl said that public conveniences are linked to the improvement of the town and its ability to increase footfall within Accrington.
In last week’s Observer council leader Miles Parkinson called on traders to get behind the town centre as it was revealed that no shop owners have come forward to offer up their own cash to claim a Government shopfront improvement grant.
Cheryl added: “The council leadership is complaining that it has had zero businesses taking shopfront regeneration grants available for up to £30,000 each, totalling £2.4m.
“Only one of these grants would be more than enough to re-open, manage and maintain these frontline facilities.”
Coun Clare Cleary, Hyndburn council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “The council has looked into introducing a Community Toilet Scheme and has ruled it out because the only successful ones are local authority funded schemes, which prevents the council from introducing such a scheme because we simply do not have the funding.”
Council leader Miles Parkinson has said that the Peel Street toilets, currently only open on Sundays, could be re-opened to cater for one-off nighttime events once the £2 million town square is completed. The existing toilets in the market hall will also be improved.
More on Accrington town centre in our special report on p20-21