Council to cut number of public loos across county
BRIDGEND Council is to cut the number of public toilets across the county, increase charges for others and pay businesses for people to use their toilets.
The council is trying to cut £100,000 from its budget this year by shifting responsibility for the toilets to town and community councils.
It will start to charge up to 50p for some – and will let people pay by card.
It is blaming year-onyear reductions in Welsh Government funding.
The last review of public toilets took place in 2015 when the number of toilets in the county’s town centres was cut from nine to six and male-only urinals were decommissioned.
There are now three remaining toilets in Porthcawl, two in Bridgend and one in Maesteg.
They are staffed by four toilet attendants who work on a rota system to open, close, and clean the toilets.
Earlier this year more than 1,137 people responded to a public consultation on toilets, with half of them saying they were prepared to pay 20p to use public toilets.
Speaking at a Bridgend County Borough Council cabinet meeting on Tuesday, June 19, communities director Mark Shephard said it was considered important that a card payment method be available which would involve charging 50p to offset additional costs of card systems.
Where toilets do close, the council says it will operate a comfort scheme with businesses, where it grants businesses up to £500 a year if they allow non-customers to use their facilities.
In a report which went before councillors, Mr Shephard says: “While 54% of respondents would be comfortable using a business such as cafes/bars as an alternative to council-operated public toilets, 74% of respondents also indicated they would not support the replacement of public toilets with the comfort scheme as an alternative facility within town cen- tres.
“Notwithstanding this, cabinet will need to balance the council’s current financial position with the views of the public and its ability to continue to fund and provide public toilets in its town centres, when balanced against other competing demands for public services.”
Cabinet member for social services Phil White said: “It’s important we recognise that public conveniences are a mustneed for many, especially when it comes the responses we can see in the consultation from the Coalition of Disabled People in Bridgend.
“For some people, the very thought of going out and not being able to access a public convenience means they don’t actually venture out, unfortunately. We have listened, we are doing everything possible.
“We are hoping we can bring on board those town and community councils which should play a partnership role with us.
“I’m sure going forward there will still be the appropriate facilities to spend a penny.”