UK 'desperate' for more public toilets
Wednesday, 22 October 2008 12:00 PM
MPs are flushed with anger today as the worrying shortage of public toilets reappears again on the political radar.
A report out today by the communities and local government select committee warns many local authorities' toilet facilities are in need of a drastic overhaul.
The report criticises the lack of public toilets in many areas of Britain and calls for the development of a public toilet strategy to provide a better service.
Public facilities are vital for elder people especially, Pamela Holmes of Help the Aged suggests. She claimed today more than half of older people do not go out due to a lack of toilets and blasted the "shameful" situation.
"The importance of toilets to public health and wellbeing needs to be recognised by all government departments and local authorities must do everything in their power to ensure people have 'somewhere to go" Ms Holmes said.
The committee also called for better information about public toilets and their locations and for establishments selling drink or food to provide toilet facilities for customers.
The Public Health Act of 1936 gives local authorities the power to provide public toilets but it does not imposes they have to.
Therefore provision of public toilets varies widely with areas like Westminster rating highly compared to others including London's South Bank which has no public toilets, despite attracting over 14 million visitors each year.
Public toilets also provide fertile ground for equality activists. Provision for men and women currently stands at around a 50:50 basis, even though women make up more of the population and a higher proportion of older people are women.
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