Llangollen residents concerned about council proposals to close public toilets

People living and travelling to Llangollen are concerned about council proposals to close public toilets in the town.

The local authority runs the toilets in Llangollen but it has no legal obligation. So they could get rid of the toilets to save money.

Retired General Practitioner and Llangollen resident Dr Rhys Davies says there is a 'moral obligation' to provide public conveniences.

He said: " As a retired GP from a public health point of view, where are people going to go to use the toilets if we haven't got a public convenience."

Age Cymru say according to their latest annual survey the lack of safe, accessible, and well-maintained public toilets makes it difficult for many older people to get out into their communities. 

They stated: "The lack of suitable public toilets means many older people are worried about not being able to access facilities when needed and so struggle to leave their homes, making them increasingly lonely and isolated. 

Retired General Practitioner and Llangollen resident Dr Rhys Davies says there is a 'moral obligation' to provide public conveniences. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

"For others, we’ve heard of cases where older people will deliberately de-hydrate themselves to reduce their need to visit a toilet. 

"Older people need to be confident that they can access public toilets when they are out and about, for example, visiting their high street for essential activities such as attending medical appointments, shopping for food, paying bills, or socialising. 

"We know finances are tight, but councils could be more innovative in their approach to public toilet provision by opening public buildings for people to use or working more closely with local businesses to increase the provision of public toilets."

Denbighshire County Council say they, like many local authorities are facing significant challenges.

“We have had to deliver £10.4m of savings as part of the 2024/25 budget, and the proposal to review the public convenience provision in the County is one of the savings proposals identified."

They say while there is no legal requirement for them to provide public toilets, they do need to evidence that they have reviewed the needs of the local population and to produce a strategy that shows how it will try to meet these needs.

“As a result, the Council is currently carrying out a needs assessment for the public conveniences in the County. This will identify the number of public conveniences needed in Denbighshire and will help the Council to develop a suitable Public Toilet Strategy.

“To develop this Strategy, a public consultation is currently underway and residents, business owners and visitors have been encouraged to take part and have their say.

“In areas where the provision of public conveniences is considered essential, The Council hopes to work with City, Town and Community Councils to look at alternative arrangements.

“We are also promoting interest in the Community Toilet Grant Scheme whereby businesses can apply to join the scheme, which allows the pubic to use toilet facilities during their opening hours without any expectation that users will make a purchase or use their services.

“No decision has been made about closing any public conveniences including the Llangollen facilities at this stage, and any decisions on this will be made by our Cabinet, following a further report to the Council’s Communities Scrutiny Committee."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...