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'Public toilet provision - the way forward'

Date of speech	19 July 2006
Event summary	British Toilet Association Conference

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Transcript of the speech as delivered.

1. Good morning everyone and thanks ever so much for asking me to speak to you today. I want to start by quoting from a letter I received last week:

2. "The enclosed article recently appeared in the Malvern Gazette highlights an issue of great concern in the area, which has resulted from the high-handed actions and arrogant attitude of the District Council, who have exhibited utter contempt for the views and needs of the very people whom they are duty bound to serve. In my travels I have spoken to town councillors, district councillors, high street traders and many members of the general public. I have yet to meet a single person who supports the closures. Furthermore, I am frequently posed the question 'And what about the tourists?'

3. "In the meantime 'Rome is still burning' - whilst the people would willingly help to put out the fire, they do not even have the most basic of facilities to do so! Being aware that you are contributing to the above-mentioned Seminar, I would appreciate knowing if the closure of public toilets is an insidious disease, or whether it is a feature of central/ local government policy."

4. Like many elected members, both MPs and Councillors, I often receive letters which reflect the strong public opinion about public conveniences. Although the subject of toilets strikes at the heart of the British sense of humour, we all know here that it is not just a laughing matter. There are some very serious issues indeed and they are ones we should discuss sensibly and thoroughly - indeed I would like to see a cultural change in the way we think about this very important issue.

5. As you know public toilets were first introduced in the UK in the second half of the nineteenth century. Their numbers grew rapidly before seriously declining over the last fifty years. There are some local authorities who see the provision of public toilets as a high priority. Those councils recognise the vital contribution a well-managed service can make, both to the quality of life for residents and to the image a place makes on visitors. This in turn impacts on the local economy, especially where tourism is a major factor - as in many seaside towns for example.

6. However in other places there is very little provision and local authorities have closed down facilities that have become an eyesore and a focus for activities such as drug taking - a point the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report made recently - and deviant sexual activity of all kinds. Indeed this has been illustrated to me in the past - I was asked to lobby for a loo which was in the middle of moorland to be moved into a nearby car park. However the police advised me that it was easier to keep an eye on 'them' if it stayed where it was.

7. It is not logical that anti social behaviour should dictate where public toilets are located - I do not accept that. Last year ENCAMS reported a dramatic increase in the quantity of needles found in public places, including public toilets, putting the public and local authority employees at increasing risk of injury and disease. So even in areas with good provision the public toilets are often closed at night in order to keep them free from such anti-social behaviour and vandalism. This should not continue.

8. We should bear in mind that it is not just England that is experiencing difficulties in maintaining the supply of public toilets. Three successive Mayors in New York have tried to introduce public toilets and the current Mayor has only recently secured an agreement as part of a wider streetscene improvement contract.

9. I think it is also worth reminding ourselves why it matters. We are a country, thankfully, that has taken sanitation for granted. However around the world 2.6 billion people do not have adequate sanitation. As the United Nations Millennium Development Goal for Sanitation points out - sanitation is dignity, and every 6 seconds a child dies of diarrhoea. We are talking about a very basic need for good sanitation as part of good public health.

10. In my analysis there are four aspects that make it an important issue to resolve in this country. First there is the effect on tourism which I have already mentioned. Both the lack of provision and poorly maintained facilities can have a very negative impact and reduce the inclination of tourists to return.

11. Second, there is the environmental problem that nearly every town with any night life wakes up to every morning. Where there is no provision, or it is difficult to access, people simply urinate in - or worse, foul - the street and this is true across the country.

12. Third, some people - for example disabled people or parents with young children and babies - face particular problems when they cannot find a decent public toilet, one that is clean, accessible and safe to use. A sub-standard one is often worse than not having one at all. And that applies to around 1 in 6 of us if you take a snapshot of the population, and most of us at some time in our lives.

13. And fourth there are serious issues of public health and public safety from activities associated with public toilets, poor maintenance and the consequences of not having any facilities at all.

14. I know the British Toilet Association has been highlighting many of these issues, especially the tourism link, and I believe you have a real point. So what should we do about it?

15. There has been a call for us to legislate and insist that local authorities improve their provision. I don't believe this is the answer - although I don't rule it out, it is not the easy answer. We may need to look at some parts of the current legislation and its anomalies such as charging, but forcing traditional types of provision could be a backward looking step rather than a forward looking one. Local authorities are already dealing with too many targets and centrally directed requirements. Many issues are much better decided at local level, and even neighbourhood level, and I do believe this is true here.

16. However I think we could look for leadership, nationally, to find much smarter modern solutions and set out a strategy for possible ways forward. We need to change the culture so that good provision becomes a matter of expectation.

17. I know many of you are concerned when public toilets are sold off for different uses, and indeed command high prices because of their central location. A couple of years ago there was a public toilet in Pevensey Bay, East Sussex, which went for £70,000 and only last week a guide price of £47,000 was put on a beachside facility in Herne Bay, Kent.

18. Now bringing these buildings back into use as public toilets might be the answer in some towns, but we must accept that the use of spaces can change. Places 'move on', and it may no longer be the best space or best solution for public toilet provision in that particular place. I congratulate the London Assembly on its report on toilets in the capital. However London does illustrate the point. Toilets were originally sited so the waste simply emptied directly into the river. This finally choked off the flow of the Fleet River as it joined the Thames - I won't draw any comparisons with the activities of the old Fleet Street above it!

19. However the point is here that there may be good reasons why certain public toilet buildings are not in the right place or are simply not sustainable because of other factors.

20. Now work on a national strategy is necessary and this must be backed up in the first instance by research. We would like to see BTA taking a role in this. Clearly councils at all levels have a key interest and much experience to offer. Bodies like the British Toilet Association and the British Tourist Alliance also have a great deal of knowledge and expertise to contribute. But I believe the private sector could play a key role in provision in the future too. And agencies that deal with antisocial behaviour and associated problems should also be part of doing research and drawing up a strategy.

21. Of course, we are not starting with a blank sheet of paper. There are places where public toilet provision is working, and working well. There are examples here and overseas from which we can draw lessons and look at as possible solutions. Take the excellent facilities in South Shropshire, the Biggin Street public conveniences in Loughborough, and Horndean in Hampshire where a disused facility has re-opened. These also cater fully for users with disabilities. And there are many more examples I could quote. In East Lindsay for example they are using Parish enabling strategies as one way to improve provision.

22. Communities and Local Government has already produced a very popular 'How to' guide giving tips to town centre managers on ensuring there is public access to toilets.

23. So we need to look at how provision could be increased, but not necessarily just through local authorities providing more. There could be a voluntary charge perhaps. This works very well in some continental countries and has become part of the culture. Could we change the culture here?

24. We could explore how the private sector could become more involved with better access on commercial premises. McDonalds has a reputation for being the place 'to go' and turns a blind eye for legitimate use. But why should they be the only ones, and why does it have to be a furtive affair? We need to grow up and invite the private sector to be part of the debate.

25. In Richmond upon Thames there is a community toilet scheme where there is a deal between the council and local businesses. This gives people access to the businesses' toilet facilities in return for an annual contribution towards maintenance costs from the council.

26. We could look at the potential for including public toilets in planning requirements for new developments. In the Cardinal Place in Victoria this was an integral part of the development.

27. There might be further to go with unattended, possibly semi-automatic toilets, operated with a coin or key entry system. Or a fully automatic facility. There is a fair amount of evidence to suggest that most people are willing to pay so long as the toilets are clean and safe. You only need to look at what has been done in railway stations to see that people are willing to pay.

28. We need to look at the even scarcer provision at night when many public toilets are closed. In Westminster, there are some street urinals, operated only at night time, in fouling 'hot spots'. Westminster also has an initiative to lease facilities to private companies, particularly close to major attractions. A number of Westminster's toilets have anti-drug measures and graffiti-proof surfaces.

29. There is a need to look at more mobile or temporary provision at night or peak times of the year as part of the solution.

30. There will probably always be a need for local authority purpose-built public toilets. But these must reflect modern society and can benefit from innovative thinking about how they can be sustained in today's environment. For example on Parker's Place, Cambridge, not only are the public toilets architecturally stunning with their coloured panels that apparently change colour between red, blue and green. But the building also incorporates a newsagent kiosk which brings other benefits. If the community is proud of the facility, then they may well become more involved in making it sustainable.

31. Of course it may come down to money and we could look at options like parish councils being able to raise money to run public toilets. This has been successful in some parts of the country.

32. Our neighbourhood plans, which will be part of the Local Government White Paper in the autumn, will enable the creation of parish strategies which can look at provision - like the East Lindsay example I mentioned earlier. I know the British Toilet Association has been working with ENCAMS to develop a knowledge bank of more examples of good practice. This will be a welcome addition in taking us forward.

33. Good information is also important in making sure people know what facilities are available and where. In Australia there is a National Public Toilet Map, available on line, a good idea which does just this. I think information is also an aspect we should look at.

34. I am very clear that we need more research so we can base our next steps on good evidence. There is much great work going on to identify good practice and excellent examples, but I accept there is still information missing. We need to look more closely at the drivers of the decline and the opportunities for turning that around, for example.

35. So two commitments today - first that there will be more proper research done by Government with the help of the BTA. And second that I will pull everybody together to produce a strategy for increasing public toilet provision in this country. I think there is a need for a change in the culture and I will hold the legislation option in my back pocket. I believe that a national strategy should be enough.

36. To talk sensibly about public toilets is almost taboo in this country but I believe there is an opportunity for us all to do so now. The time scale is that, by the Olympics in 2012 when London and the UK will be on show to the world, the situation should have improved significantly. Provision has overall fallen to such poor levels in many places that it is certainly getting way beyond a joke. I was quoted in the Observer at the weekend as wanting to "save the British loo". I think that is only half the story - we also need to look at a whole new era of provision.

37. I hope you will join me in looking forward in a wide-ranging, innovative and constructive way. I don't believe this is the responsibility of Government or local government alone, but we all have a role in taking this agenda forward.

Thank you.

Speech by Phil Woolas MP on 19 July 2006.