7 A public toilet strategy
99. Section
4 makes it clear that there are significant planning, licensing
and leasing powers that local authorities can use to support the
provision of public toilets. There are a number of additional
tools and frameworks, as stated in Section 5, which can also be
used for this purpose.
100. The
Government's Strategic Guide notes "increasing public concern"
at the decline in the provision of public toilets, and general
concern about their safety, cleanliness and accessibility.[158]
At the same time, both the guide and the Government's memorandum
state that local authorities should be empowered to take further
action in providing public toilets. [159]
The BTA suggests that "too many local authorities have basically
given up on public toilet provision" and fears that "without
a stronger Government lead on the issue, an increasing number
of Local Authorities will assume that society's toileting needs
can be wholly satisfied by other commercial premise providers".[160]
101. However,
the Government does not want to impose any duty to provide
public toilets, nor even any duty on local authorities to provide
a strategy about the provision of public toilets. As the Minister
told us: "what we have done over the past ten years is increasingly
to leave local authorities to determine the way they do things
and run things, and that has been the direction of travel."[161]
Instead, the Government hopes that each local authority will
see for itself the benefits and "recognises the value of
public toilets, stimulates local debate and responds to community
concerns, galvanises other service providers to take action, and
builds links with local businesses and communities."[162]
102. But many local authorities
have not seen the benefits of public toilets, as can be
seen by the decline in the numbers and standards of public toilets,
which is why many organisations that submitted evidence sought
a statutory duty on local authorities to provide public toilets[163];
BRADA went as far as to suggest ring-fenced funding for this provision,
weighted towards areas that receive most visitors.[164]
However, this suggestion goes against the move to empower local
authorities to make their own decisions on what is important in
their areas and to decide how best to spend their block grants.
We feel strongly that the recommendations
made in the Government's Strategic Guide should be acted upon
by local authorities. For this reason, we recommend that the
Government imposes a duty on each local authority to develop a
strategy on the provision of public toilets in their areas, which
should include consultation with the local community and which
should be reviewed annually. 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 who live in and
visit this country to have accessible and clean public toilets,
wherever they live, work or visit. The way in which local authorities
plan and utilise their own strategic plan is a decision for them;
the fact that they have a plan should be a duty placed on them
by the Government.
158 CLG, Strategic Guide, p 19. Back
159
Ev 44 and Ev 30 Back
160
Ev 24 [BTA] Back
161
Q 106 Back
162
CLG, Strategic Guide, p 27. Back
163
Ev 24 [BTA], Ev 36, Ev 65, Ev 77. Back
164
Ev 65 [BRADA] Back
|
