Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

Purpose:

To undertake scrutiny of the draft Monmouthshire County Council Local Toilets Strategy.

Key Issues:

Part 8 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 ‘Provision of Toilets’ came into force on 31^st May 2018. It places a duty on each local authority in Wales to prepare and publish a local toilet strategy for its area.

Local authorities in Wales now have the responsibility to –

·         Assess the need for toilet provision for their communities

·         Plan to meet those needs

·         Produce a local toilets strategy, and

·         Review, update and publicise revisions to the strategy.

Local authorities must prepare and publish their strategies by 31st May 2019. The duty to prepare a local toilets strategy does not require local authorities to provide and maintain public toilets directly. Indeed, further to the work of the ‘Public Convenience Working Group’ in 2009 (a sub-group of this committee), most public toilet blocks were successfully transferred to Town and Community Councils to manage. It is for the County Council to take a strategic view on how publicly accessible toilets can be provided and accessed across the county.

Member Scrutiny:

The Chair checked that Members had received the report put together from a site visit last week, visiting 19 toilet facilities in the area and highlighted that the Committee needed to consider and comment on the Draft Local Toilets Strategy and discuss any issues raised. Copy report: Toilet Survey

The Head of Public Protection informed Members that a one off Welsh Government Grant of £17,200 was available for additional work to develop and publish the LT strategies which will need to be reviewed by May 2021.

Although it was reported that there was a low response from the survey, possibly due to the Christmas period, the following findings were recorded

80% too few facilities

52% locations not convenient

41% not feeling safe 50% safe

69% more info on location

31% lack of facilities

51% satisfied.

46% cleanliness

49% think should be free to use

Issues raised re baby changing facilities and disabled access. 

A Town Council survey resulted in slightly more responses but with similar findings.

Gwent Police recommend that the facilities don’t remain open too long because of drug taking and anti-social behaviour.  Cleaning staff have a very difficult job and will start logging issues relating to syringe usage to support the Police within Health and Safety considerations. 

Councillor A. Webb presented findings of the recent site visit undertaken by three Members of the Committee, highlighting the need to ring-fence the £17,200 grant.

Issues that were raised were not necessarily aimed at cleanliness but also outside maintenance, water pressure issues and building structural condition alongside issues of unsightly equipment in areas of tourism interest.  Concerns regarding rodents, drug abuse, graffiti, baby changing facilities and disabled access were also considered.

The Rotary Club were endorsed for their input via Monmouth Town Council and should be encouraged elsewhere. 

The Chair mentioned that it was important for Property Services to do an audit as soon as possible to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.