Agenda item

An electronic petition has been received – “Save Bath’s Public Toilets” - containing 2298 signatures.  According to the Council’s petition scheme, if a petition with over 1000 signatures of people who live, work and study in Bath & North East Somerset is received, it triggers a debate at Council.

The Council had received a petition entitled ‘Save Bath’s Public Toilets’ with sufficient signatures to trigger a debate at Council.

Lin Patterson, lead petitioner, spoke in support of the petition.  A copy of the statement is attached to the Minute book and attached electronically to the minutes.

It was moved by Councillor David Dixon, seconded by Councillor Paul Crossley, and

RESOLVED (unanimously) as set out below;

Council wishes to provide public conveniences which:

• Are modern and well maintained and which meet the needs of both the residents and visitors to the district.
• Meet acceptable standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
• Are located strategically across the district.
• Are accessible and safe to all users.
• Address night time economy issues.

Council notes:

• That access to toilets is very important for many people who live in, work in and visit our area.
• That toilets in public buildings are now publicly accessible.
• That the budget set by Council expects a saving of £120k on public convenience provision to be delivered in the 2014/15 financial year.
• That the equalities issues arising from this budget proposal have been analysed and a statement prepared in September 2012, which is available at; http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/siteimages/equality_public_toilets_sept_2012.docx
• The increase in toilets in the private sector over recent years, some of which the Council has enabled through planning and development grants at no cost to the tax payer. These include Bath Bus Station, Southgate, Waitrose and the new one that will be delivered through the Keynsham redevelopment.

• And recognises the serious concerns of residents over the planned closure of a number of the Council’s public toilets.
• And recognises the importance of easily accessible public toilets and the value placed upon them by the general public, particularly in the case of elderly and disabled residents, and those with certain health problems.
• And supports plans to upgrade and improve the Council’s public toilet provision, where appropriate and needed.
• And is concerned by the continued lack of certainty over the future of those toilets earmarked for closure if no suitable alternative can be found.

Council resolves:

1.  To ask that Officers continue to work with local ward Members on seeking alternative public toilet provision, or identifying alternative funding arrangements, in areas where public toilets are earmarked for closure.

2.  That where no suitable nearby alternative provision can be found, or alternative arrangements identified, Cabinet halt the planned toilet closures and maintain existing public toilet facilities in these areas until the end of the current financial year.

3.  To request that officers review the arrangements for the new public toilet maintenance contract to investigate potential options for retaining a greater number of public toilets, whilst still seeking to achieve the target level of savings within the Medium Term Service and Resource Plan (MTSRP).

4.  To instruct Cabinet, as part of the 2014/15 budget and MTSRP, to bring forward revised proposals which maintain public toilet facilities in areas where no suitable alternative provision can be found or alternative funding arrangements can be identified, unless consultation with the local community clearly demonstrates a lack of need.

[Note:Councillor Geoff Ward moved an adjustment which had been circulated to the meeting to replace the final 2 sections of the substantive motion with the totality of the amendment.  This was accepted by Councillors David Dixon and Paul Crossley into the substantive motion.]