I understand that in some heavily trafficked tourist areas, there’s no need to keep all the toilets open throughout the whole year, but why have a policy of closing practically all of them in the winter? Indeed some councils close all their toilets in the winter.
Many of these loos are in car parks in towns, where they are used by locals and visitors alike. People still need toilets in the winter.
And what’s the knock on effect of closing thse toilets? In York one landlord has had enough of people coming into his pub purely to use the toilets because the public ones are closed during the winter. He says that 55 people used the toilets without buying anything from the bar in just one day! Read his story.
Of course this masks the problem because people don’t complain to the council when they actually find somewhere to go. But why should a pub landlord have to pay for the cleaning and extra supplies of loo paper etc.
In some areas community toilet schemes are being set up where the council gives local businesses money to open their toilets to the general public. However in cases such as the one above, it does seem totally unfair that some businesses through no fault of their own, should end up doing this for nothing.
However I have to say that the people using the toilets really should have the decency to offer to pay something towards their visit or buy a drink while they’re in there!
So if you visit a town without sufficent toilet provision, COMPLAIN to the council. Their numbers and email addresses are easily found on their websites and if you don’t complain, councils will always be able to say that there is no demand for toilets anyway.