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Lavatory humour is rife in British culture, but the provision of public toilets is no laughing matter: public toilets matter to everybody, regardless of their age, class, ethnic origin, gender, mental ability or physical ability. They are even more important to certain sections of our society, including older people, disabled people, women, families with young children and tourists. The first public toilets were introduced in 1852 and some of the finest surviving architectural examples date from this Victorian heyday. However, while the Public Health Act 1936 gives local authorities a power to provide public toilets, it imposes no duty to do so, and this lack of compulsion, together with a perception of nuisance associated with them, has arguably resulted in a steady decline in the provision of public toilets in recent years.
This decline needs to be addressed. The Government's Strategic Guide on the provision of public toilets, "Improving Public Access to Better Quality Toilets" was published in March 2008 and we support its content and its desire to take the "taboo out of toilets". This guide highlights existing powers at the disposal of local authorities that can be used to improve public access to toilets.
Many local authorities are aware of the costs of not providing public toilets, such as the need to clean up street fouling and the isolation of vulnerable groups who feel unable to go out without the assurance of access to public toilets, and they have developed various strategies for the provision of clean, safe, accessible toilets. Some have opted for a scheme where the local authority works in partnership with local businesses (such as pubs, cafes and shops) that make their own toilets available to non-customers.
Other local authorities are less committed to the maintenance or provision of public toilets, which has led to great disparities between different towns and regions. It has been argued that some local authorities have used the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as an excuse to close public toilets, rather than bring them up to the standards required by the Act.
Many organisations are campaigning for better provision of public toilets and provided much of our written and oral evidence. The British Resorts and Destinations Association (BRADA) highlights the importance of good-quality public toilets for tourists and other visitors, who make a crucial contribution to many local economies. The National Organisation of Residents' Association (NORA) points out the negative impact on residents where lack of good provision results in street fouling, an increasing problem because of extended licensing laws. Help the Aged and other groups stress the importance of public toilets to give older people the confidence to leave their homes and to avoid problems arising from isolation and dependency. There is a strong lobby fighting for equal rights for disabled people, including the Changing Places Consortium, which has developed and introduced public toilets that are accessible to severely disabled people. Other campaigners work to redress the inequality of provision for women, arguing that, for a variety of reasons, there should be a 2:1 ratio in favour of women's toilets, whereas current provision is 1:1 or significantly worse. The British Toilet Association is a campaigning group with 160 members, of whom 61 are local authorities, and promotes the "Loo of the Year" awards to recognise and reward excellence in public toilets.
The Government's White Paper "Communities in Control" supports community empowerment, giving local groups and organisations greater power to influence decisions that affect their local area. Together with the Government's Strategic Guide on the provision of public toilets, this can give these organisations more leverage with which to carry out their campaigns.
This report seeks to consider the evidence and to produce simple and practical recommendations to improve this important social amenity. Our over-riding recommendation is that the Government imposes a duty on local authorities to develop a public toilet strategy, which should involve consultation with the local community, for their own area. The duty of compiling and reviewing a public toilet strategy is a simple requirement that will go a long way towards achieving the right of people to have accessible and clean public toilets, wherever they live, work or visit. Our public toilet provision should not be allowed to decline at the current rate because of neglect arising from the lack of any clear strategy.
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