Lib Dems name for ‘public toilet fund’ as numbers ‘drop by 14% in five years’
T
he Lib Dems are rallying for the institution of a devoted “public toilet fund” within the wake of a decline within the variety of public bathroom services throughout England.
Freedom of data requests by the occasion present the variety of public bathrooms has fallen from 531 to 459 in 45 councils since 2018/2019, that means there was a 14% drop in 5 years.
The Liberal Democrats mentioned 1 / 4 (24%) of councils cited prices as at the very least a part of the explanation they needed to shut their services whereas a fifth (20%) talked about anti-social behaviour, arson, threats to employees or vandalism as at the very least a part of the explanation.
People deserve these fundamental services and but they’re being let down
Calling for the Government to arrange a “public toilet fund”, Liberal Democrat native authorities spokesperson Helen Morgan mentioned: “This is yet another example of our local communities up and down the country being abandoned by this Conservative Government.
“People deserve these basic facilities and yet they are being let down.
“Ministers have, for years, savagely cut local authority budgets and now we are seeing the erosion of local facilities like public toilets.
“We need real and targeted funding to ensure local people are getting the fair deal that they deserve.”
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson mentioned: “We expect councils to provide public toilets for their communities – they are best placed to decide where they are needed.
“We recently announced up to £30.5 million funding to local authorities in England to boost the number of larger accessible toilets.
“Changing places toilets are a vital facility for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets and for their family and carers. That’s why they will be installed in existing buildings and we have made it compulsory for new public buildings to have them.
“Keeping neighbourhoods safe is an absolute priority which is why the government has introduced the anti-social behaviour action plan backed by £160 million of funding.”