Public toilets facing closure in city council spending cuts

[dutchman]

The council is reviewing the future of all public toilets in the city as it aims to shave millions from its operating budget



Coventry City Council appears reluctant to spend a penny more on keeping public toilets open after it emerged the authority was reviewing the impact of closing them down.

The council is understood to be particularly focusing on the future of the six suburban publicly-funded toilets currently operated by the authority.

Outside of the city centre, the council operates toilets on Foleshill Road; Albany Street, Earlsdon; Jardine Crescent, Tile Hill; Jubilee Crescent, Radford; Roseberry Avenue, Bell Green and Sparkbrook Street, Hillfields.

All could face the axe as the council looks to save money as part of its ‘City Centre First’ scheme to replace all exiting council service sites with five hubs in north, south-west, south-east, north-east and centre of the city.

The council believes City Centre First will save £5million as it works towards a predicted £65m funding cut from central government by 2017.

Toilets operated by the council at the Canal Basin, Central Library and Pool Meadow will also be reviewed as part of the process.

News of the possible closures came during a council public services cabinet member meeting which looked at the possibility of reopening toilets in Quinton Park, Cheylesmore.

A total of 248 people had signed a petition calling for public toilets to be made available in the area after the closure of the existing block two years ago.

But reopening the existing site was ruled out as it emerged repair costs would be higher than the estimated £100,000 cost of building a modern toilet block.

The building will be knocked down later this year to avoid problems with vandalism.

A council officers’ report, prepared in response to the petition, said: “Local authorities are not under a statutory duty to provide public toilets.

“The council has, over the years, closed most of its suburban public toilets, to the extent that there are now only six public toilets open to the public in suburban locations.

“The provision of public toilets in suburban locations is one strand of the city centre budget reduction provision contained in the council’s budget for which proposals are due to come forward for consideration.”

[rebbonk]

Most successful shopping precincts have plenty of clean toilets. I wonder if this inept council have factored this in to their 'plans' for the city centre shopping experience?