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SAC Report No. 14

The Management of Public Toilets

 

Summary

This report sets out the process, conclusions and recommendations of the fourteenth investigation undertaken by Aberdeenshire Council’s Scrutiny and Audit Committee. The subject of the investigation was the Management of Public Toilets.

The investigation took place during February and March, 2007. The Committee heard evidence from Aberdeenshire Council staff and external witnesses during five sessions. Committee members also conducted three site visits, two in Aberdeenshire and one in Perth and Kinross. The Committee considered all the evidence gathered and drew up its conclusions and recommendations at a meeting on 22 March, 2007.

Providing public toilets is not a statutory function of local authorities. However, public toilets are an important service for visitors and residents alike. The Council needs to continue to ensure that adequate public toilet provision is in place across Aberdeenshire.

At its formation in 1996, the Council inherited a mixed portfolio of public toilets, distributed unevenly across Aberdeenshire. Many of these public toilets are elderly and no longer meet accepted standards. The Council’s traditional stand-alone public toilets are no longer the sole toilets available for public use. Supermarkets and others increasingly provide toilets for the public. Public expectations of what should be provided have also altered; for example, people now expect baby-changing facilities and the law requires disabled provision where practicable.

The Council runs a mix of attended and unattended public toilets. Some of Aberdeenshire Council’s attended toilets, in particular, are excellent modern facilities, built and maintained to a high standard. The unattended facilities are prone to vandalism and misuse. These problems are much less in evidence in the attended toilets. Unattended toilets have running costs in the order of £4,400 to £11,900 per annum. Attended facilities cost in excess of £43,000 per annum to run. The Council cannot afford to convert more than a small proportion of its unattended toilets to attended facilities.

Facing similar problems to Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross Council adopted a strategy based on partnership with the private sector. In return for a payment and other benefits from the Council, businesses make their toilets available for public use. In effect, these are attended facilities. There are no major reported problems with vandalism in the Perth and Kinross scheme.

The Committee recognises the commitment and hard work of the staff that run Aberdeenshire Council’s public toilets. The dedication of those volunteers involved with the community run toilets is also to be commended. The work required to keep public toilets running is not always recognised or valued as it ought to be – but it is an essential public service.

The Committee concludes that changes since 2001 mean that it is now time to revisit and update the Council’s strategy for public toilet provision. As part of this, an audit is required, not only to encompass all toilets in the Council’s ownership, including those in public buildings which could be signed as publicly available, but also alternative provision which may be available elsewhere, whether in public or private ownership. Covering issues such as level of use, vandalism and other running costs, proximity to alternative facilities and the fabric of the buildings, such an assessment would allow an overarching strategy to be considered.

The Committee considers that, in a new strategy, there should be four different categories of toilet provision. The strategy should be based on a vision of continuous improvement, and provision based on need, not just the maintenance of existing operations. The four categories of toilet provision the Committee recommends are:

  • Joint partnership provision – based on that provided by Perth and Kinross’ ‘Comfort Partnership’ – subject to the availability of suitable and willing partners;
  • Community run facilities in rural locations;
  • Existing staffed facilities; and
  • Council unattended facilities.

The type of location will often dictate the category of toilet to be provided. Other relevant factors are the level of demand, the presence of alternatives and the sustainability of the Council’s existing facilities. Any strategy must include the retention of existing, staffed facilities in the bigger towns, and provision at the country parks as destination points.

The Committee is convinced that a strategy that makes full use of partnership arrangements can deliver a better provision of public toilets than what is currently available in Aberdeenshire. It ought to be possible to increase the number of publicly available toilets at the same or lower cost.

The Council’s website listing of public conveniences should be accurate and updated to include all publicly available toilets run by every Service. Those listed as accessible should be reviewed by disability experts to confirm that status.

In general, new toilets should not be stand-alone facilities, but should be incorporated into other developments (for example, as a separately accessible part of an upgraded village hall or tourism facility). If new staffed facilities are built, the layout should mirror that of attended toilets in Perth and Kinross, with a central entrance point controlled by the attendant.

The Committee believes that a range of improvements should be considered for the Council’s public toilets. For example, baby changing facilities, energy conservation measures, time-activated locks on unattended facilities, hooks for bags/coats in each cubicle and disabled provision which allows optimum space.

The Committee recommends the standardisation, as far as is possible, of all furniture and fittings. This would make maintenance easier, possibly cheaper, and minimise the closure of facilities for repair works.

The Committee strongly recommends, at the earliest opportunity, the provision, potentially through the conversion of existing facilities, of “Changing Places” style facilities in the north, south and centre of Aberdeenshire.

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