Public conveniences - a basic right

The blame game continues as DCLG attacks local councils for closing public toilets.

As an employee in the campaigns and activism team of learning disability charity Mencap, I work on a project called Changing Places which campaigns for, and supports people to provide, toilets in the community that are suitable for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and others who need extra equipment, time and support to use the facilities. www.changing-places.org There are currently 565 Changing Places across the UK with an increase of around 100 facilities per year for the past three years. This is in stark contrast to a survey which has found that one in seven public lavatories have closed in the past three years as councils attempt to cut costs.

Shadow DCLG minister Hilary Benn MP published the survey figures after making a freedom of information request to 326 local authorities in England. 218 district and borough councils responded and it was found that 13.5% of all council-run lavatories have been closed since 2010, while in 11 council areas including Liverpool, the City of Westminster and Wokingham there are no public lavatory facilities available anywhere. Hilary Benn said: “Pubilc loos aren’t just there to keep street clean after last orders. They are important for people with certain medical conditions, for older people, disabled people, pregnant mothers and families with children.”

Having attended the British Toilet Association AGM last week in Stratford upon Avon I met with managing director Raymond Martin who highlighted at the meeting and in today’s national press the issues now facing many people. The closures will impact on pensioners, people with disabilities, amputees, stroke victims and people with continence issues with many choosing to stay at home rather than risk trips out.

Cutting a basic need is a short sighted and narrow-minded false economy.

Mr. Martin said: “With the continuing lack of government directives and financial support we feel that the health and well-being of our residents and visitors is being greatly jeopardised each day. With diminishing footfall because shoppers and day trippers cannot properly relieve themselves, this significant increase in public toilet closures has perpetuated an economic decline in local business and community infrastructure."

However the DCLG put the blame firmly at the doorstep of local councils.

Brandon Lewis, the local government minister, criticised councils for the closures. He commented: "Public toilets are an important local service. If councils stopped flushing away taxpayers' money through bad procurement, bloated bureaucracy and fraud, they could find the savings to protect front-line services and keep council tax down."

Council provision of public toilets is a discretionary service that no administration should ever consider cutting. For health, community and business reasons it is a false economy to take away toilet provisions from local people.
This coming Tuesday 19^th November is World Toilet Day. Many people living in the mainstream of life are now suffering the indignities that people with disabilities have suffered for years. I hope this will lead to stronger protest against the decisions made at local council level to close public toilets which are forced on them by a short-sighted and narrow-minded Tory led government.