Evidence for the
Inquiry into Provision of Public Toilets (Communities and Local Government Select
Committee)
Submitted by The
Inconvenience Committee, Blue Badge Tourist Guides
(the UK's tourist guiding professionals), April 2008
Introduction
There has been a growing concern
over recent years amongst the UK's Blue Badge Tourist Guides over the provision
of public toilet facilities. The
problem is particularly acute in London, which as a global centre for tourism draws
in millions of visitors each year from the domestic and overseas markets.
In response to these concerns,
Blue Badge Tourist Guides formed an 'Inconvenience Committee' to document both
problems and progress. The committee
has provided evidence to the London Assembly Inquiry into Public Toilets
(Report, March 2006), and has campaigned successfully for Unite (the UK's
largest trade union), to include provision of free public toilets as part of
their policy. However the committee
remain concerned that despite some progress in ideas, the importance of public
toilets to UK tourism continues to be at best neglected and, at worst, of no
concern, at either UK national or local government levels. Our response to the current call for
evidence is detailed below, using the reference headings of the Inquiry.
1. The
need for public toilets - access to public spaces, needs of older people,
disabled people, children and families.
Walking, cycling and visiting parks
etc. is increasingly recognised as an important way of improving community
health. With an ageing population,
access to public toilets is even more essential. Yet many parks and open spaces have poor toilet facilities or
lack them altogether - open spaces in London are particularly badly served and
demonstrate the lack of a coherent policy for public toilets:
ˇ No
suitable public toilets in the public areas of More London/Potters Field/ Hays
Galleria. Just a single pay toilet for
each gender in More London!
ˇ Only
one [shabby but free] public toilet (in St James's Park) in the vicinity of
Buckingham Palace for visitors to the Guard Change
ˇ Insufficient
toilets in Trafalgar Square and with limited opening
time provision.
ˇ General
lack of sufficient toilets for women [and children]
ˇ Need
for disabled toilets should not lead to closure or replacement of other public
toilets
ˇ Limited
opening hours makes difficulty for people who walk or cycle to or from
work.
2. Why
provision has declined
a. The main reasons
are the lack of legislation and planning strategy. Increasing legislation for other services has allowed the
budgets for public conveniences to be plundered and reduced.
b. Vandalism, drug-taking & other
anti-social behaviours are often cited as a reason for closure or restricted
hours - but without measures being taken to counteract these threats, although
there is ample research and empirical evidence that much of the abuse can be
prevented - plus innovative design e.g. vandal proof toilets.
c. Loss of
civic pride in the great achievements of British sanitation: plus it no longer
seems to be popular (not respectable enough?) for wealthy benefactors to see
public toilet provision as an important charitable contribution to the
community (Dick Whittington famously bequeathed a public toilet to Londoners; more
recent benefactors, such as George Bernard Shaw, were
proud to be recognised as helping to fund or be associated with provision of
public toilet facilities).
d. Neglected by
architects (although recent RIBA award to a public toilet in Gravesend and
award-winning loos in Cambridge are encouraging signs).
3. Who
pays: should local authorities provide
free toilets; should the public pay; should local business contribute?
a. Public toilets should in general be free at
the point of use: apart from issues of
equality of access for all citizens and visitors, it cannot be assumed that all
those with need to use them will have the appropriate small change. This particularly applies to foreign
visitors: the pattern of tourism now
includes groups making 'flying visits' to the UK of a day or so.
b. It would appear that some people do not mind
paying for toilets if they are clean and safe, but pay toilets should be
restricted to commercial areas and not to 'tourist destination' areas
such as Parliament Square in London or centres of major tourist destination.
The lack of free toilets around Parliament Square is one of the most persistent
trying problems encountered by tourist guides.
c. There should be free public toilets at all
main rail stations and most central tube stations in London: it is disgraceful that there are charges at
most of these, plus turnstiles (illegal under the ignored Turnstile Act). Ticket prices are high so why can't this
simple service be free? Also, the
difficult-to-negotiate toilets at rail stations such as Paddington and Victoria
make a very poor welcome to London.
d. Options
for paying for toilets include:
ˇ Contribution
from local businesses, especially those benefiting from tourism and visitors,
such as hotels, shops and restaurants
ˇ Increase
in the revenue that can be retained from business rates in main tourist
destination areas e.g. Westminster, ring fenced to pay for public toilet
provision.
ˇ A
'toilet card' purchasable at tourist centres that would provide access to
charging public toilets - probably only feasible when public toilet design has
been more standardised...
ˇ A
standard levy on the Oyster card used in London, that would allow the user free
entry into toilets e.g. in tube stations.
ˇ Condition
of trading licence to pay levy for public toilets in all public areas and
shopping centres.
ˇ Local
authority contribution to provide toilets in local parks.
ˇ Linked
businesses e.g. refreshment booths that generate the income needed to finance
the toilets; machines selling appropriate products inside toilets.
ˇ Advertisements
in and outside toilets
ˇ Corporate
sponsorship of particular 'high profile' toilets - possibility of tax
incentives?
4. Opening
hours and other accessibility issues.
a. There is a particular shortage of toilets in
the early hours (when cafés are not yet open) or after business hours - e.g.
early evening.
b. Accessibility is an issue, but the unintended
consequence of the Disability legislation, in encouraging local authorities to
close or sell off their facilities, should be urgently addressed. Most of those seeking to use public toilets
are not in wheel chairs and can manage steps with appropriate rails etc -
therefore the provision of facilities for wheelchair users should not be used
as an excuse to provide no other facilities.
5. Security
- should toilets be staffed, unstaffed, automated?
Any unstaffed toilet becomes
unpleasant in a very short time - a depressing fact (how about including
appropriate toilet use on the primary school curriculum?). Automated toilets
become frankly dangerous when something goes wrong. Staffing, regular cleaning and replacement of toilet paper, soap
etc. is therefore essential.
6. The
gender balance - are men and women being fairly served by current provision?
a. The answer is of course no - in any group of
tourists, the ladies' loo rapidly builds up a long queue.
b. Public toilets should include twice as many
cubicles for women
7. Provision
beyond the local authority - innovative schemes to encourage shops, cafes, pubs
and other businesses to provide toilets to more than paying customers.
This currently favoured idea has
huge drawbacks -
a. It is only feasible for individuals or very
small groups
b. Who wants to pay to eat in a café, only to
find a long queue for the loo formed by non-customers?
c. The hygiene of pub and café loos often leaves
much to be desired - with greater use, they will be even worse
d. It does not answer the need of tourist groups
e. It is extremely unlikely to be taken up in
highly frequented tourist areas:
ˇ Businesses
in tourist areas (e.g. Westminster) often display notices saying their toilets
are only for customers.
ˇ Very
few establishments have appropriately large public toilets
f. There is nothing wrong in encouraging this
idea in shopping areas etc, but not if it is seen as an alternative to well
designed public toilets.
8. Tourism
- does public toilet provision play a part in the attractiveness of our towns
and cities?
Yes of course, but the design of
toilets could be examined to make them a feature rather than a smelly eyesore
e.g. with design competitions and specific initiatives to improve the public
toilets in parks and open spaces, as well as at tourist destinations. We support the excellent points made by
VisitBritain on this subject and would also add the following points:
a. Tourists ALWAYS remember problems with
toilets.
Examples:
ˇ Toilets
at coach parks often close at 5pm but for some parts of the country this may be
the only place where a coach can stop - and local cafés and pubs can be hostile
to the arrival of a large group looking for a toilet...
ˇ Destinations
like Westminster Abbey, with no public toilets available to their paying
visitors, frequently cause problems for tour groups. A relaxing and enjoyable visit to a tourist attraction often
means ensuring that members of the group have a chance to visit a public toilet
first.
We would be happy to provide oral
evidence based on tourist guide experience of the public toilet provision.
b. Public toilets are not just about loos - they
provide hand washing and nappy changing facilities, for example: this helps to
maintain good hygiene and safe eating on the move.
c. Street urination and other fouling is
undoubtedly on the increase - not the image we want to promote for tourism and
well placed public toilets can help to stop this [as well as ensuring some are
open in night hours]. The public toilet
needs of the homeless and the very poor also need to be addressed if street
fouling is to be reduced.
d. The increasing concern about protecting the
environment provides an opportunity to design 'eco-loos' that use rainwater for
flushing etc.
e. Civic pride in public toilets needs to be re-generated
and appropriately funded.
f. Tourists come into all the groups for which
there may be particular concern: e.g. elderly; disabled; families with
children; people with chronic urinary or bowel ill health.
g. Tourism is not just about coach parties: walking tours account for an increasing
proportion of foreign and in-country tourism.
And people on walks need public toilets, just as those in large coach
groups.
h. The two most important tourism-strategic
areas for free public toilets in London are Parliament Square (near Westminster
Abbey) and St James Park/ Green Park (near Buckingham Palace)
Chair
Inconvenience Committee of the London Blue Badge Guides
