Agenda item

To consider the Progress Report on Gwynedd Local Toilet Strategy.

Resolved:

To accept the report, noting the observations made during the discussion.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and YGC, the Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC Department and the Municipal Assets Manager.

It was noted that Gwynedd currently had 61 public toilets and 39 toilets in businesses which took part in the Public Facilities Grant Scheme. It was emphasised that a large part of Gwynedd was located within the Eryri National Park, and therefore the National Park and National Trust also had public toilets. It was therefore noted that a good number of facilities were available across the county.

It was explained that the report provided an update on the implementation of the Public Toilets Strategy since 2019, and included an action plan which noted the next steps and the steps that had already been achieved to improve the image of the public toilets and address the expectations of users, as well as explaining which funding sources were available to improve the provision, what the latest timetable was in terms of introducing contactless payment technology, and what the situation was in terms of income.

⁠It was noted that various grants had been attracted through a variety of ways over the last year, including the Shared Prosperity Fund. It was emphasised that efforts had continued to get access to grants, with an application being submitted for the next round of funding by the Shared Prosperity Fund.

It was noted that the service's revenue budget was limited, and it had been under substantial pressure due to the condition of the buildings and vandalism. It was noted that most of the budget had been used for the maintenance of current facilities, leaving a small amount for restoration or improvement.

Reference was made to the grant scheme by the Welsh Government which provided funding to businesses that were happy to open their facilities to the public. It was noted that it was a requirement for the businesses to ensure appropriate signs, and that officers monitored that this was happening. It was confirmed that there were currently no businesses on the waiting list, therefore new businesses could be included should they appear. It was explained that the Council website noted the businesses which took part in the plan and that list was available for the public. It was noted that work was underway to review the cleaning arrangements, and although the standards were generally satisfactory, it was believed that there was room for improvement.

Members were reminded that there had been pressure on the Council some years ago to save money by closing public toilets, but instead of doing that, a partnership plan was established with town and community councils. It was noted that there would be a need to review this contribution this year, as inflation had not been increased on the contribution since introducing the plan.

It was noted that there were five toilets where people had to pay to use them. It was noted that a bid to renovate and install modern payment doors had been successful, but there had been a slippage in the work programme. It was expected that the new provision would be available soon, but it was not possible to report on their effectiveness yet.

During the discussion, the following observations were made:

The members thanked the officers for the presentation. Reference was made to the main objectives of the strategy when expressing concern regarding the lack of a clear method to measure them, which was essential. For example, although the objectives involved encouraging information and promotion, it was not mentioned whether the Council measured the number of visits to the website or assessed the suitability of the signs.

In response, it was noted that there was a procedure within the performance challenge process which included measuring complaints, and the types of complaints received in relation to the facilities and the cleaning procedure. In addition, it was noted that measuring existed regarding how much use was made of the website and the way that information was conveyed to the public. However, it was acknowledged that a consultation had not been held since preparing the strategy in 2019, and it would be timely to conduct a similar practice once again to gather views and information from users.

Reference was made to the situation in terms of charging in five facilities across Gwynedd. It was enquired what was happening to the funding raised, was it being earmarked for those facilities only, for the public toilet provision across the entire county or does it go to the general fund. The opinion that income from specific facilities should be used to maintain those facilities was expressed.

In response, it was noted that there was no significant income from the provision, although an income target had been set. It was confirmed that the funding gathered within the service had been used to contribute towards the costs of running the public toilets.

A question was raised about public toilets that were already locked, such as in the car park in Penygroes, asking whether there were any plans to reopen them. It was noted that the toilets had been closed for a long time and no facility was available in the area on weekends. It was asked whether it was possible to collaborate with the local Community Council to reopen the facility, given the importance of the area as a World Heritage site.

In response, it was noted that the Council had always tried to collaborate with community councils, and in many cases, community councils had collaborated with the Council after realising the local demand. However, it was noted if the building had deteriorated over a long period of time, that it may not be possible to reopen it. It was confirmed that the Council was willing to consider every individual case.

The standard of cleanliness in the public toilets at Dinas Dinlle was praised, with specific attention to the excellent work from those responsible for maintenance.

Appreciation was expressed for the work presented under the strategy, noting that Gwynedd was in a good situation with a total of 100 public toilets, much more than many other areas. It was emphasised that the Public Facilities Grant Scheme had offered a service of standard, and the belief that expanding it would lead to significant savings to the Council by reducing the burden on the direct service. It was questioned how many businesses were on the waiting list for the scheme and when it was expected for the bid for the scheme to be successful.

In response, it was confirmed that no business was currently on the waiting list. It was noted that the annual grant from the Welsh Government was slowly increasing every year with inflation, meaning that it would be possible to add at least four new businesses to the scheme. It was explained that an officer was conducting annual investigations to ensure that signs were in place, that facilities were open to the public and met a specific standard. In addition, it was noted that further work would happen this year to note areas where they do not have further facilities but where local businesses were willing to join the scheme.

It was asked whether councillors could now encourage businesses to apply for the scheme. In response, it was confirmed that this was possible as funding was available.

Support was expressed for the community toilets scheme and its value was emphasised, as well as noting the satisfaction that three changing places were already underway. It was asked whether there was any further statutory requirement which meant that changing places had to be included in any new provision. Views were expressed that this should be mandatory.

In response, it was confirmed that it was not a statutory requirement to include changing places in any new scheme. It was explained that there had been opportunities to note possible locations for such facilities, and the Council would consider every opportunity when moving forward, especially if a grant was received to develop new facilities and that it had been included in the strategy's action plan.

Concern was expressed that the biggest difficulty with changing places facilities was that they needed to be located within sites with staff to avoid concerns about vandalism. It was noted that locating them in buildings which were already staffed, such as libraries, community centres or museums, was a more viable option.

It was asked whether there was an opportunity to work with businesses which were part of the community toilet scheme to provide changing places. Reference was made to a particular example of the Royal Ship Hotel in Dolgellau, where staff were available all day, suggesting that an agreement could be offered to ensure the provision for a longer period. In response, it was agreed that this was a good idea, but the challenge of attracting grants continued to be a significant challenge.

It was noted that approximately 27 of the current community toilets offered baby changing facilities and this was positive news. It was noted that many of these facilities were in similar businesses and cafés, where the owners were willing to provide the facilities.

Pride was expressed about the high standard of cleanliness in the public toilets, including those within Eryri National Park. Information about the process of reopening closed public toilets was sought, including the cost and the steps that the community council could take to work with the Council. It was noted that one community council was considering reopening public toilets in their area, and it was possible for others to do this if they understood the process. In response, it was confirmed that detailed information would be sent to the Member.

It was suggested to promote the toilets available by using social media such as Facebook. It was elaborated that this was a quick, easy and free way to provide details about facilities to the public. It was noted that this could be beneficial to individuals who needed to plan trips because of health matters. It was suggested that councillors could contribute to this by sharing the information in their communities.

In response, it was noted that the Department's business unit, which has expertise in communication and e-development fields, would undertake the work to implement the suggestion.

It was asked whether a grant application has been submitted to create new public toilets in Dyffryn Ardudwy, noting that the previous block was now being vandalised. It was confirmed that the community council was happy to collaborate and willing to contribute financially. In response, it was explained that the current block had deteriorated too much to be reopened, and that a decision needed to be made regarding its demolition and building a new facility in its place. It was agreed that officers would contact the Member to discuss the matter in more detail.

It was asked whether the payment system for using the public toilets included the choice between cash and card. It was confirmed that the new payment doors would offer both options.

RESOLVED to accept the report, noting the observations made during the meeting.