Public Toilet Charges In Brighton & Hove: Decision Delayed By Councillors

Plans to charge for public toilets in Brighton and Hove are hanging in limbo after opposition councillors voted against the proposals this evening (Tuesday 17 January).

After more than an hour of heated debate at Hove Town Hall, Conservative and Labour councillors voted against the proposal but the Greens seem determined to push ahead with the new fees.

Much of the discussion focused on the impact of closing 18 toilets, most of them in parks or along the seafront in Hove, Ovingdean and Rottingdean.

Labour councillor Nancy Platts questioned Brighton and Hove City Council’s legal position because leaseholders, such as the Chalet café in Preston Park, required toilets for staff.

Councillor Platts said that people who took part in parkruns and members of the Older People’s Council were protesting outside the town hall.

And she had received hundreds of emails from concerned members of the public and businesses about the adverse effects of the closures.

She said that a report to the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee seemed rushed, with legal, economic and health and wellbeing concerns omitted.

A senior council official, Rachel Chasseaud, said that the council was talking with the café operators to see if they could take on running some toilets for staff.

Friends of parks groups are also being asked if they are willing to take on running toilets and paying the utility costs.

Councillor Platts said:

“We are destroying outdoor activities, closing small independent cafés, closing accessible toilets.

“There’s no way I can vote for this. It doesn’t contain the level of detail and analysis for such a huge decision that will have a huge impact on people in the city, our economy and health and wellbeing.

“We’ve seen the trajectory for a long time. We knew the direction this was going in. Why wasn’t there some planning done a year ago if it was going to be a make-or-break deal?”

Councillor Platts asked for the report to go before the full council on Thursday 2 February.

Committee co-chair Green councillor Steve Davis said the council was not facing “ramped up” inflation a year ago, which he blamed on former Chancellor of Exchequer Kwasi Kwartang’s September mini-budget.

Councillor Davis said Brighton and Hove will not balance its budget without a strategy and will face a Section 114 notice from the Government, limiting spending to statutory services only.

He said:

“Should that happen, there’s no expenditure. In May, we could be facing four years of not being able to do anything. What we are trying to do is find a practical solution.

“We are trying our very best here to protect our public services. This is a controlled demolition of public services. We know why we’re are in the position.”

Closing toilets would not necessarily be permanent, as Councillor Davis said the money generated from charging would be “ring-fenced” to bring “mothballed” toilets back to public use.

Conservative councillor Dee Simson shared her concerns about proposals for card payments, particularly for visitors and older people who struggle with technology.

She was told the refurbished toilets at Daltons, Kings Esplanade, Saltdean Undercliff and Station Road, Portslade, would have paddle gates and card readers accepting credit and debit cards, as well as smartphone payments, which were described as common as the world moves towards a “cashless society”.

A prepaid card system available to be topped up from shops would also be introduced.

The Budget Policy and Resources Committee will discuss cutting the budget for public toilets from £905,000 a year to £605,000.

The proposals to close 18 public toilets from Saturday 1 April will go to Budget Council for debate on 23 February if voted through.

The toilets proposed for closure are
Black Rock
Blakers Park
Easthill Park
Greenleas
Hollingbury Park
King Alfred
Norton Road
Ovingdean Undercliff
Preston Park Chalet
Queen’s Park Play Area
Rottingdean Recreation Ground
Rottingdean Undercliff
Saltdean Oval
St Ann’s Well Gardens
Stanmer Village
Vale Park
Western Esplanade
Wild Park

One option could mean that the 18 above stay open during the summer only and close for the winter.

Under the proposals, seven other public toilets would close for the winter anyway. They are

Dalton’s Bastion
Goldstone Villas
Hove Park
King’s Road
Peter Pan’s
Preston Park Rotunda
West Pier Arches

Just eight toilets would remain open all year round. They are

Hove Cemetery (north)
Hove Lagoon
King’s Esplanade,
Lawn Memorial, Woodingdean
Park Road, Rottingdean
Saltdean Undercliff
Shelter Hall
Station Road, Portslade

The Budget Policy and Resources Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm on Thursday 9 February. The meeting is scheduled for webcast on the council website.