Examination of Witnesses (Questions 100-103)
MR MIKE
BONE AND
MR RICHARD
CHISNELL
9 JUNE 2008
Q100 Mr Olner: It is going into the
aquifers below the ground?
Mr Chisnell: Yes, so it is not
very pleasant, and with all the modern shopping facilities we
have in town centres it is not a very pleasant thought that most
owners of these rather plush shops have to wash their doorways
every morning to wash the urine away. That is not the sort of
Britain we should be encouraging in the 21st century, so we have
to find solutions.
Q101 John Cummings: Are women, especially
older women and also women from ethnic minorities, at ease going
into a bar or a pub to use public toilets in line with the community
toilet scheme?
Mr Chisnell: That is a difficult
question to answer. I suspect in the main not because it is a
new experience for them, but, on the other hand, do these people
go into bars at all? Do they go into public places?
Q102 Mr Olner: Do you have any evidence?
Mr Chisnell: Not specifically,
no, but it is an area of concern that we have about the community
toilet scheme. It has to be managed both from the point of view
of the providers, the commercial partners, as well as the users,
and communication to users is vitally important to ensure that
their feelings, their reservations, are managed to best effect
so they can be overcome. The community toilet scheme does have
a role to play but it is not the ultimate solution. We do emphasise
that we believe that local authorities have a duty and should
be required to have a duty to ensure that toilet provision, through
whatever source and however it is managed, is effective in their
particular area.
Q103 John Cummings: I am rather surprised
that we have the community toilet scheme, and I am just wondering
what evidential factors there are in relation to encouraging various
sections of the community to become involved and to use the facilities?
Mr Bone: It is not just females,
in fact. A lot of the older people—and the population is
ageing dramatically in this country—will not go into licensed
premises, so it is not just females who are an issue here. It
is not a question of making but suggesting people use licensed
premises for their toileting needs.
Chair: Thank you very much indeed.
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