More public lavatories in town centres under ministers' plans
Public lavatories would become a legal requirement in town centres under plans being considered by ministers.
Currently, there is no requirement for local authorities to provide them in town centres. But under new proposals drawn up by the British Toilet Association (BTA) and discussed with Alex Norris, the minister for building safety, fire and local growth, such public lavatories would be made a mandatory requirement.
In a meeting in January, Liam Conlon, a Labour MP, said he and the BTA had encouraged Mr Norris to integrate public lavatories into local planning documents.
In addition, the BTA also recommended that local governments should ring-fence local taxes to enable more public lavatory provision and that restaurants that did not open lavatories to the public pay more to their local government in the form of higher business rates.
The number of public lavatories has dropped by 40 per cent since 2000, according to the BTA, which launched a Legalise Loos campaign earlier this year.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Conlon, the MP for Beckenham and Penge, said campaigners would like to see 'an increase in the number of public toilets and for public toilets to be considered when planning'.
|He added: 'Along with a commitment to building one and a half million new homes, public toilets should be part of those building plans. They're not a luxury, they're a necessity. The department is looking at that and at having good provision of public toilets which are accessible and good to use.'
Mr Norris was reportedly receptive to plans to make public lavatories a requirement in new town centres, according to MPs and campaigners present in the meeting.
Mr Conlon said: 'He did not make any commitments, but he listened and was very supportive about the impact it was having on people.'
Speaking about the meeting, Mr Conlon said: 'We spoke about the impact of public toilets, that it's often older people and disabled people who are affected, along with the need for more public toilets and accessibility.'
He added that the minister 'acknowledges the issue, definitely' and that he and the BTA were due to have another meeting with him in the next few months to discuss how they could best take it forward, and whether it was possible to reach an agreement over public lavatories.
Mr Norris said in a written question in December that the Government was 'taking action to address the significant challenges councils face, including through the first multi-year funding settlement for local government in 10 years'.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'Local authorities are best placed to understand local priorities, including on the important issue of provision of public toilets, whether they are operated by local councils directly or through community schemes.'
Raymond Martin, the managing director of the BTA, urged the Government to invest in the provision of public toilets, saying: 'Now is the time for action. This Government has an opportunity to reverse recent decline and make public toilets legal by making their provision a duty and not a choice.
'By spending a penny now, we can safeguard facilities for the future, benefiting local communities and local economies in the long term.'
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