New town transport interchange will have high quality toilets
STOCKPORT Council manage the existing toilets in the bus station, seeking to maintain them to a high standard but within the constraints of an aged building and limited resources to carry out refurbishments.
However, the council is working with Transport for Greater Manchester to develop a new transport interchange in Stockport which would include high quality, fully accessible toilets with extra features and space to meet the changing places standard and baby changing facilities.
Public consultation has taken place on the proposed interchange and it is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted later this year
The toilets are cleaned daily (Monday to Saturday) and a deep clean is programmed in on a monthly basis.
The toilets are subject to regular acts of vandalism but repairs are carried out as required as soon as possible. Councillor Kate Butler executive member for economy and regeneration
COUNCILS ON THE BUSES?
IT was good news to read in the Stockport Express last week that MPs have voted on a bill that could soon become law and make Greater Manchester and therefore Stockport buses, cheaper, simpler and more reliable.
The story however did not mention that the Bus Services Bill has a clause banning councils in England from setting up new bus companies to run their own services.
This means that even though Greater Manchester will have a greater say in how buses are run, they can only franchise services to bus operators who will profit from running the buses.
Currently, £23 million is paid to shareholders of bus companies in the North West.
Surely, the way forward is to let Greater Manchester run their own buses on a not-forprofit basis and not use private providers.
Already 12 local authorities provide excellent bus services across the UK and the clause stopping further councils doing this should be removed from the Bus Services Bill.
We could try to influence this by writing to our MPs or signing the petition at www.weownit.org.uk/act-now/we-wantbuses-people-not-profit. Deborah Hind Bramhall