Agenda item

Context:

To provide members with an update on the provision of public conveniences within Monmouthshire.

Key Issues:

1. On the 21st July 2010 MCC Cabinet received a report titled ‘Provision of

Public Conveniences in the Future’. This included recommendations from the Strong Communities Select Committee arrived at following a detailed review of the service by members. (Appendix 1 is an extract from that report and provides a summary of the recommendations for the future management of MCC public conveniences at that time).

2. Since those proposals were approved some further adjustments to provision have been agreed through the budget setting process, in particular in 2016/17 when proposals relating to local services included further changes.

3. On the 10th November 2016 the Strong Communities Select Committee received an update on the provision of public conveniences in Monmouthshire provided by either the County Council or community or town councils. The appendix provided to that committee is replicated as Appendix 2 to this report but the following updates will be of interest:

3.1 Abergavenny Town Council has contributed £58,000 to the public convenience budget in 2016/17 to allow for the four public conveniences within the town to remain open whilst the town council reviews how the service might be arranged for the future. MCC officers are working with the town council to review options which may be adopted by the town council in the future. In the meantime officers anticipate the town council continuing to support the service financially in 2017/18 until such time as decisions are taken and implemented.

3.2 In Chepstow (Welsh St Car Park) and Monmouth (Blestium St) planned maintenance has been carried out as a precursor to finalizing transfer of the asset. All transfers have included a clause whereby MCC may buy back individual toilet blocks (or receive 50% of the sale value) where a decision has been taken by the relevant local council that building is no longer to be used for a public toilet.

3.3 The provision of opening/closing and cleaning of the public toilets in the

Cottage at Tintern Abbey was advertised by Tintern CC on behalf of MCC. MCC officers are now finalizing an agreement with a local private business to manage the toilets on behalf of MCC.

Member Scrutiny:

A Member asked if the toilet at White Horse Lane will be kept open and maintained, in answer we were told that due to a decision made by this administration at the time of the budget setting that in the case of the Town Council not supporting the service MCC would only maintain one public toilet in Abergavenny town, that to be agreed with the local members. Rather than allow this to happen Abergavenny Town Council funded the four toilets. Currently MCC are working with Abergavenny Town Council to discuss their options. The Member asked that this was reviewed during the next administration.

A Member voiced their dissatisfaction with the review of toilets and commented that the ongoing work should have been scrutinised and asked that in future Select committee meetings the policy decisions should be reviewed regularly to ensure that policies are implemented correctly

It was asked when the issue would be concluded and we were told that a decision will be made by September 2017.