East Devon District Council has now published the statistics of a major public toilet consultation which saw almost 1,300 people respond.

The consultation on what to do with the existing loos, which ran in August and September this year, comes after the council said that it could not afford to pay for them.

The district council divided the 27 public toilets in the district into three categories, and suggested that they either be refurbished (Category A), turned into something else such as a café but still with public access (Category B), or offer them to a town council/community group or remove them (Category C).

The stats

Contactless payments

The option to pay for using the toilets was supported by 56 per cent of respondents.

Based on residents' opinions, this could be a 30p contactless payment - but more than 40 per cent said there should be a discount card for people who can't afford it or have medical needs.

It has been estimated that this option could generate £200k per year.

Exmouth

In Exmouth, 55 per cent of people disagreed with the toilets at Orcombe Point being put in Category B (being turned into something else, but still with public access) as the loos are far away from other public toilets and see constant use in summer.

52 per cent of people also disagreed with the Exmouth Bus/Train Station toilets being put into Category C (town council, community group or removal) as it is 'a major arrival point with no other public toilets nearby, or on the Exmouth to Exeter trains'.

What's next?

The district council's cabinet is going to review some recommendations made next week.

These include:

1. Taking into account water usage data to see how popular the loos are;
2. Offering town councils a final opportunity to take on Cat. B and C toilets, if leases with community group cannot be struck within 12 months;
3. Having the council encourage local businesses to take them on for non-paying customers who may have disabilities and illnesses that aren't always visible;
4. Charging for Cat. A toilets to cover refurbishment costs;
5. Writing to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to request that he lobbies the treasury for a fund to be created to help councils further invest in public toilet provision and to make toilets a mandatory rather than discretionary service.

Which categories are Exmouth's public toilets in?

The public toilets identified for the 'A' category (i.e. to be improved) are in:

- Foxholes Car Park (Running costs £22,543.95/year);

- Magnolia Centre/ London Inn (Running costs £28,881.03/year);

- Manor Gardens (Running costs £24,599.32/year);

- Queens Drive (Running costs £20,495.53/year);

- Phear Park (Running costs £12,893.16/year).

The 'B' category:

- Imperial Recreation Ground (the site 'could offer a very good café/bar'. Running costs £24,058.37/year);

- Orcombe Point (Running costs £6,371.78/year);

- The Maer (the site 'could be better used as a cafe/bar with community toilets, potential link with BBQ area'. Running costs £8,951.94/year).

The 'C' category:

- Bus/Train Station ('Very low usage. This site is at a gateway to the town, but directly benefits the station and could be operated by others. The building can't be used as anything other than a public toilet. Could be re-modelled as part of the Motorhome parking project pending councillor approval'. Running costs £24,541.37/year);

- Jarvis Close (Running costs £10,000.23/year).

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