Consultation On The Future Of Swale's Public Toilets

Swale Borough Council wants people’s views on the future of public toilets in the borough.  

Members of the council’s Environmental Services and Climate Change Committee agreed to consult on the future of their 16 toilet facilities across Swale at their meeting on Thursday 10th July.  

The council is considering transferring seven toilets to town and parish councils to operate so they can make sure they remain open to the public. They are also exploring the option of working with local businesses to create a community toilet scheme. This would allow members of the public to use the toilet facilities of businesses that have signed up to the scheme, without having to make a purchase. 

The council would also like people’s views on closing three toilets that have low use and are costly to maintain.

The three public toilet facilities that they are proposing to close are from the following options:

• Library Car Park, Sittingbourne - the cost per user is £0.82
• The Forum, Sittingbourne - the cost per user is £0.85
• Milton Regis High Street, Milton Regis - the cost per user is £2.77
• The Spinney, Leysdown - the cost per user is £3.60
• The White House, Minster - the cost per user is £4.52

They say that the results from the consultation will help them to choose which of these toilets - with some seeing as low as 13 users per day - should be closed. They confirm that: "these changes will make sure the most used toilets remain open and are well-maintained, while the council works towards a sound financial footing".  

Cllr Dolley Wooster, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, told SFM News: “We know how important good public toilet facilities are for local people, but the costs of providing them – which are £478,000 each year - means we have to try to think of new ways to provide a service that is affordable in the longer term. The costs aren't just for the regular cleaning and unlocking the toilets, there are also ongoing maintenance costs and - in some cases - significant investment would be needed to bring them up to standard.

Cllr Wosster added: "To balance this out and make sure the service is on a sound financial footing, we want to work with local town and parish councils, as well as local businesses, to make sure people have access to clean and accessible toilets. I know that any talk about closing toilets is likely to cause some people to worry, which is why it’s important that we carry out an open and transparent consultation. I hope as many people as possible take part in the consultation, so we have as many views as possible to help us plan for the future of the service.” 

You can have your say on the future of public toilets in the borough here:- https://swale.gov.uk/your-council/consultations/public-toilets