Calls for public toilets to be ‘human right’ as councils bid to save pennies
THE future of one in three of Scotland’s council-run public toilets is under review as it emerged that one in five have already vanished in the last five years.
New research shows that while squeezed budgets mean Scotland’s 32 local authorities are under pressure to save every penny, it means there are far fewer places in our high streets and tourist hotspots to spend one.
Data provided by local authorities shows that there are now 724 council-run public toilets around Scotland – 185 fewer than in 2013.
It has led to new concerns that councils, which are not legally required to provide toilets, are increasingly looking to offload the responsibility or close them to cut costs.
Research by the Evening Times’ sister title The Herald has revealed the number of councils who now no longer run any public toilets at all has risen from one to three in the past five years – as they increasingly look to either close them or sell them off.
Glasgow City Council is directly responsible for 21 public toilets and there has been no change over the five years and no plans to change.
Clackmannanshire became the latest to go to zero after closing its only public toilet in October. The council said it had sought to “protect essential services while improving the council’s financial sustainability”.
South Lanarkshire became the second local authority to run no public toilets at all having cut all 19, and blaming it on Scottish Government spending cuts.
East Renfrewshire also has none, North Lanarkshire cut three over the five years and now has one, while East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire have two and Falkirk has four having cut 14.
North Ayrshire home to popular tourist destinations such as Arran has experienced the biggest public toilet cuts in the past five years. Only nine of the 45 public toilets that were available in 2013 now remain.
Argyll and Bute has the second most public toilets in Scotland with 70, having cut none in the last five years.
Figures show that as of September some 243 further free conveniences had their futures under question either because local authorities are looking to offload through new ownership or they are up for closure.
Pressure group the British Toilet Association has called for public toilets to become a human right enshrined in law and feared those under review could also ending up going down the pan.
They say accessible free toilets are vital to our everyday lives, while being a necessity for people with accessibility needs and parents with young children.
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It says they also bring extended relief for hundreds of thousands of Scotland’s visitors including day trippers.
A spokesman for the Use Our Loos campaign, run by the BTA, said: “Public toilets are an essential piece of infrastructure for all types of users as they fulfil a significant role in our health and ongoing well-being.
“If we can’t dispel the poisons building up inside our guts then we run the risk of falling sick or ill during our working day or when driving.”