Denbighshire County Council have put forward plans that could see the closure of every public toilet in Denbighshire in an attempt to save the council £200,000 per year. Instead, the council will seek to pass on the toilets to community and town councils, but there are no guarantees smaller councils will take on the financial burden. The council will also fund a community grant scheme, paying businesses £500 a year to make their toilets available to the public
Denbighshire Council says it is facing unprecedented financial difficulties, despite receiving a 3.7% rise in its local government settlement, the highest in North Wales. The council has also raised council tax by 9.34% and has cut funding for frontline services.
Responding to the council’s plans to close all public toilets in Denbighshire, Gareth Davies MS, Member of the Senedd for the Vale of Clwyd said:
“I am shocked to see Denbighshire County Council proposing this disgraceful policy to claw back money without any consideration of the impact that this would have on local people or tourism.
“Despite enjoying the highest increase in their local government settlement of any council in North Wales, they still see fit to take away the most basic and vital public provision for an unavoidable human function, and to an area with a high population of elderly residents.
“People in Denbighshire should not have to accept a local council raising council tax and then closing public conveniences with the burden falling disproportionately on already disadvantaged groups, including disabled people, older people, and homeless people.”
