Partnerships can stave off threat to 50 public toilets

FIFTY out of 73 public toilets in Gwynedd could stay open if town and community councils step in to take them over.

In March cash-strapped Gwynedd Council decided to shut the conveniences to save £244,000 a year by April 1 2017.

But last week, its cabinet agreed to support the Scrutiny Committee’s recommendation to look again at working with town and community councils and explore the possibility of charges.

They will also look at means of extending the Welsh Government grant scheme for businesses and community ventures who allow the public to use their conveniences.

Although the council have not yet said which ones are likely to shut, a leaked document claimed to show a list including three toilets in Bangor, three in Caernarfon, two in Pwllheli and two in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

At a meeting of the council’s Scrutiny Committee last month, Cllr John Wynn Jones, Cabinet member for the environment, put forward an alternative plan to keep as many as possible open while achieving the same savings.

He said the Scrutiny Committee backed his plan to set up partnerships with town and community councils to take over their running by paying £4,000 towards keeping a toilet open all year or £2,000 for one opening seasonally.

Last week, Cllr Jones said: “We’re trying to keep these toilets open.”

Highways and municipal chief officer Gwyn Morris Jones warned it could be two years before the toilets could be transferred from the county to other organisations.

In his report, Mr Jones said if there was no interest in the partnerships, toilets would close this financial year. Decisions would be based on level of use, facilities for disabled and links with shops, tourist attractions and transport.

An update will be provided at Cabinet on October 4.