MPs call on councils to provide better public toilets

A Communities and Local Government committee report has urged councils to step up their provision of public conveniences and to stop using disability laws to tear down existing toilets.

The report recommends that the 'Government imposes a duty on each local authority to develop a strategy on the provision of public toilets in their areas'. This, says the committee, should include consultation with the local community to 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,' states the report.

The committee added that the way in which local authorities plan and utilise their own strategic plan will be left up to them, but there should be a duty placed on them by the Government to have aplan of some sort.

The report also noted that some authorities were using the disability discrimination act as an excuse to pull down toilets which didn't have disabled access, rather than upgrade them at extra expense.

Other points include urging authorities to work in parnership with businesses, such as pubs and restaurants, to provide toilets for the public, and combating the image of public toilets as homes of anti social sexual or drug related activity.

Click here for the full committee report.