Fife Council promises public won't be caught short by toilet closures
Assurances have been given that no public toilets in Fife will be closed until suitable alternatives have been found.
- By Craig Smith
- Published in the Courier : 13.02.12
- Published online : 13.02.12 @ 10.18am
That is the message from Fife Council after proposals came to light in Thursday's budget which are based on the closure of all public conveniences with the exception of Church Square in St Andrews and automatic public conveniences.
The plan has been drawn up to save £200,000 a year by encouraging more local businesses to sign up to the Comfort Break scheme, which should yield savings as fewer public toilets are needed.
The vast majority of public toilets are expected to close eventually, with toilets in council buildings — such as libraries and local offices — and Comfort Break scheme partners being used instead.
However, it has been stressed that members of the public who still use the council-run conveniences will not be left high and dry, as no closures will take place until other options have been arranged.
That said, the challenge now will be to convince more businesses to open up their toilets to the passing public.
Councillor Tony Martin, chairman of Fife's environment, enterprise and transportation committee, said: ''The scheme is working and people are getting longer opening hours and better quality facilities, so it's a win-win for the public and a win-win for the businesses involved.
''Having said that, we realise there are still exceptions to it and some of the exceptions are in places like Anstruther where we've still kept public toilets open.
''It's not that we're looking to shut public toilets to save money — it's that we're looking to reallocate resources to save money.
''Normally businesses, particularly hotels, are very keen to get involved in the scheme and there are also places where we (the council) can offer our own toilets.
''I do think we have to look carefully to ensure that there are alternatives, but this scheme does work and it has worked elsewhere.''
The council says the Comfort Break scheme was introduced after a review found the public were generally dissatisfied with some existing council toilets and were already favouring using facilities in cafes and restaurants.
Given previous concern over how the Comfort Break scheme would work in areas like St Andrews, Cupar and in parts of the East Neuk, Councillor Andrew Arbuckle, chairman of the north-east Fife area committee, said he hoped the council would not go down the ''forcing route.''
''I've got communities in my council ward, some which have accepted the Comfort Break scheme and others that don't like it, but I think the attitude of the council is not to force any community to do it,'' he said.
''I've spoken to some of those businesses involved and they do get a lot of people coming in, and most actively buy something.
''It can be difficult though, and the other aspect is when businesses change hands — we've had a business in Newburgh which has closed for example — so there are issues that need to be dealt with.
''It is something, given time, most retailers or supporting businesses would be interested in, and it does work in other local authority areas.''
11.54am - 13.02.2012 Thornindaside - perth, scotland Report This
Somewhere in the back of my brain is a mamory of a bit of a stushie when my local authority cut the budget for comfort stations but prepared to spend an not inconsiderable amount of money on automatic toilets up at Broxden.We still have toilets in the South Inch pity the ladies is nt open all year.
01.10pm - 13.02.2012 JM - glenrothes, Scotland Report This
So much for encouraging tourism? We need the loos to stay open. A very short sighted policy move
10.12pm - 13.02.2012 cos - City of Glenrothes, Scotland Report This
As Fife Council currently has some 400 buildings I'm sure many can be made available. Many businesses see this a financial burden and reject for that reason. It should be run as a public service.
10.03pm - 14.02.2012 nancy drew - cowdenbeath, scotland Report This
public toilets are a very important element of customer friendly town centres and other places where visitors are to be encouraged
Add a comment