Most public toilets will be open earlier than advertised, a senior councillor said, after political rivals criticised the prospect of a 10am start.
Some spoke out during Brighton and Hove City Council’s budget debate, saying that public toilets would not be open until 10am.
Conservative councillor Ivan Lyons, a keen distance runner, was particularly worried about the effect on the five “parkrun” events in Brighton and Hove.
They attract more than 1,000 people who complete a 5km run in parks and on the seafront at the weekly free event on Saturday mornings.
At the budget council meeting last Thursday (22 February), Councillor Lyons said: “This administration announced proposals to keep toilets closed in the city until 10am … when more than 1,100 partake in ‘parkrun’ every Saturday morning (and) will have no toilet facilities.”
He said that the council planned to shut toilets at 6pm, adding: “Residents and visitors will be cut short on a balmy summer’s evening when the parks and boulevard are packed.
“Our residents pay some of the highest local taxes in the country and expect the basics to be dealt with.”
Independent councillor Peter Atkinson said: “My request is to keep the opening times of our public toilets at 8am – all of them.
“Bladders do not have alarm clocks or timers. When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. So please can we find a way to keep them opening at 8am?”
Currently, the council is maintaining 34 public toilet blocks and spending £4.5 million on refurbishing them.
Labour councillor Tim Rowkins, who chairs the council’s City Environment, South Downs and the Sea Committee, said: “I was disappointed to see Councillor Lyons making all kinds of inaccurate statements in the press recently regarding toilets.
“I’d like to remind him that it was a Labour budget amendment that prevented the Greens from closing them all this time last year – and this administration that got them refurbished and reopened at lightning speed after the election.”
He said that seafront toilets at Shelter Hall, the West Pier Arches and the King’s Road play park as well as the Colonnade and Dalton’s, east of the Palace Pier, would open at 8am.
But workers had to drive to other “mobile” sites to open them, clean them and close them, he said.
Outside the meeting, Councillor Rowkins said: “The issue is the mobile sites – and those currently open at 9am, not 8am.
“The reason there is some confusion around it is that, because of how these sites are geographically distributed, they take a while to get around.
“Under the existing regime, the staff shift begins at 7am and the operatives drive around opening them between 7am and 9am. So the advertised opening time is 9am for all of them but, in reality, many are open earlier.
“The new regime will see the shift starting one hour later so operatives will begin opening at 8am and be done by 10am. Again, most will be open before 10am, but we will advertise based on the lowest common denominator.”
Councillor Rowkins added that three of the four sites that are currently closed for six months over the winter would be open year-round.
He said: “This should be a more reliable operation. The current reliance on seasonal summer roles that are basically never fully recruited means that we often aren’t able to fulfil the advertised opening hours so this will be a more reliable and sustainable way forward.
“We will ensure ‘parkrun’ sites are open well in time for the events. We already had a special arrangement in place for them last year and will continue to do so.”
New and refurbished toilets have planning permission at the Royal Pavilion Gardens and work has also begun on a new site at The Level.
Plenty of walls and trees to choose from.
What has Brighton got against public toilets ? I’ve seen men relieving themselves all round the closed pavilion toilets like dogs
In Prague they have beautifully clean attended toilets everywhere with defibrillators and access to emergency services . All done with a 10 p entrance charge .. surely the way to go ? Better to spend a few pennies ( excuse the pun !) then have nowhere to go !!
You know what, a minimal charge has a proven positive effect. A real simple example of this is plastic bags when the 5p charge was first introduced. 95% reduction in plastic bag usage.
We pay huge amounts of council tax and have just had a 4.9 percent increase for worsening service. More poor service from the Red Tories (aka New New Labour)
Now, John, I’m sure several people on here have already explained to you that in fact, in very comprehensive detail previously, how councils have less money but have to provide more services. This is a product of one of the statistically worst-managed central governments in recent years.
There is human faeces to be found daily in central Brighton parks, on the beach by the groynes, Pavilion Gardens, and seafront squares. There are not enough toilets open as it is. Also those with no homes to go to as well as people out for the evening are going out in the open it’s a health hazard for all.