A plan to transfer ownership of public toilets and close underused or unsightly toilets is being looked at by Monmouthshire councillors next week (21st July).
Councillors will meet next week to agree a plan for public toilets in the county.
The council’s Cabinet will decide on a proposal to no longer manage or fund 16 of the county’s 29 public toilets, saving up to £120,000 but also releasing some funding to improve those toilets retained.
Local town and community councils will be offered the toilets if they wish to take on their management.
The plan also looks at refurbishing or replacing some of the remaining toilets in the council’s control.
The report is the result of a working group initiated by MCC’s Strong Communities Select Committee initiated after many members expressed concern at the condition of toilets and also the cost of the service.
Roger Hoggins, Head of Operations explained:
“The member working group has done a lot of research into the current condition of toilets in Monmouthshire – looking at how they are used by the public, how clean they are and which are of most importance to visitors and residents.
“The council is not obliged to provide public conveniences and the work the council is doing is ensuring we are making the most of residents’ money when public funding is under increasing pressure.
“”The report aims to find the best way of providing toilets for people who live and visit Monmouthshire.”
Currently MCC spends £300,000 per year on 26 public toilets, and this figure includes water and electric rates. Around £170,000 of this spending goes on cleaning toilets. The cost of running each individual toilet depends on how frequently each toilet is used.
The agenda for the meeting can be accessed at:
http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/downloads/8_Provision_of_Public_Conveniences_in_the_Future.pdf
