Agenda item

Decision

RESOLVED that

Option 1 - Full and winter closures is progressed by officers, for the least well used and most aged sites in terms of management or maintenance, to include discussions with town and parish councils and other interested parties, regarding possible transfer of sites, where there is a particular context for doing so.

The Chairman introduced this item. He said that the Budget Monitoring report had set out the context regarding financial pressures and there were now a number of considerations regarding the Council’s estate and the public conveniences were part of this wider review. He said for some of the sites, the decision was straightforward regarding future ownership. In some cases, the Council did not own the building but operated the facilities on behalf of the community or local businesses. In others, the usage was a factor, especially where it had dropped to a very low level, particularly during the winter months. There were also examples of the facilities no longer suiting the needs of the location.

The Chairman then spoke about Weybourne, where there was no sewage connection to the public conveniences and it was very hard to maintain to a suitable standard and the cost of upgrading it was very high. Regarding Stalham, he said that the intention was to replace this in the future. The location no longer worked for the town and it was hoped to relocate it to the car park at some point. He went onto say that some sites were in locations where there was no income stream for the Council and it made sense to look into the option of transferring them to a partner to operate if possible. He then said that it was not the case that they were not needed but that the best approach would be for another party to operate them. He assured members that there was no intention to immediately start closing toilets but said that the Council was keen to start discussing options with interested stakeholders and representatives from the affected communities, with the aim of keeping them open.  He then spoke about the winter closures, mainly in coastal locations but also the Broads. For some, such as Wells, Cromer and Sheringham there was nearby provision that would meet the wintertime demand. Overall, it was hoped to realise about £100k of savings, although there were some contract considerations regarding the Serco cleansing contract.

In conclusion, the Chairman said he hoped he had explained the situation fully. He invited the Portfolio Holder for Finance to comment. Cllr Shires said that the Council was looking to work with partners to ensure that the facilities remained open. The financial pressures which were impacting on housing provision for homeless families in the district meant that all options needed to be considered. She added that the review was in the very early stages and it would be coming back for further consideration later in the year. She acknowledged that it could adversely affect some areas in the district but all options would be considered to ensure that the impact was minimal and where possible, a smooth transition to a partner was  put in place.

The Chairman invited members to speak:

Cllr M Taylor, Local member for Stalham, said that he and Cllr Bayes both understood the budgetary pressures that the council was facing and his comments took these into account. That said, as local members for Stalham, they were both disappointed to see the proposals come forward, as the community had been campaigning for years to see more investment in the town and this sought to remove an asset. He added that no proper progress had been made towards putting replacement facilities in place. If it had, then as local members, they may feel more comfortable with what was being proposed. He commented on the lack of consultation to date and said that he hoped that there would be engagement with local businesses. He went onto say that there may be an opportunity for the town council to take on the facility but there had not been time to speak to them or local business owners yet. In conclusion, Cllr Taylor said that he would like to see more progress on the proposals for a replacement facility before a decision to close the current site was taken as he would not want Stalham to be the only town in North Norfolk without a public toilet.

Cllr K Bayes, local member for Stalham, said that he agreed with Cllr Taylor’s comments and he shared his concerns regarding the lack of consultation and he hoped to see more engagement with business owners in the coming weeks.

Cllr Dr V Holliday spoke as the local member for Weybourne. She said that she also accepted the need to address the budget deficit but felt that there were less punitive ways to achieve this. She added that it was understood that the facilities at Weybourne beach would be removed at the end of September and she asked for clarification on this. She also asked if enough had been done to address the vandalism that had taken place on the site. Even in Winter, people continued to walk the coastal path and with no facilities at Weybourne, it would present real challenges. She concluded by saying that local residents would welcome discussions with the Council to find a way forward.

Cllr P Fisher, local member for Wells, said that the number of visitors to the town and beach did not really drop off in the winter months. In addition, there was a children’s play area behind the Beach Road toilets and it would be a disappointment to see them being closed. He asked if any toilets were closed that clear signage was erected directing people to the nearest alternative. The Chairman agreed that clear signage was important. He said that there were some challenges regarding dilapidated signs in various locations but it was not always provided by the District Council. He said that in the long term, the Council would wish to invest in improving some of the key locations, particularly where there was a bus interchange such as at Wells and Hoveton. The Council would continue to seek to access national funding where possible.

Regarding Weybourne, the level of vandalism and abuse of the facility was so high that staff were having to work very hard to ensure that they could remain open. In addition, the cost of building a service connection was just too high and the impact of coastal erosion remained a concern. That said, discussions with the parish and town councils for both Weybourne and Stalham were welcomed and they had been contacted.

He went onto say that public consultation was not being carried out but this was the start of the engagement process with local stakeholders and it was hoped that no facilities would be closed.

Cllr N Dixon said that he welcomed the indication from the Leader that this was in the early stages in the process. He endorsed the comments made by the local members for Stalham and was encouraged by the promise of investment in the future but would like to see much more supporting evidence about what that may look like. Cllr Dixon said that option 3 – the transfer of all sites to parish and town councils, needed a lot more work before it was a realistic proposition. Some of the toilets on the list were in strategic positions, albeit remote, on the Broads and he would like to see time invested in terms of option 3 to see how it might progress in terms of viability. The Chairman replied that Cabinet were not supportive of either transferring or closing all of the toilet facilities. He added that he sympathised with the views of the members for Stalham and said that it was very much hoped that a new facility could be provided there.

Regarding Walsingham, he said that he had spoken to the local member and discussed the demands placed on the toilet facilities during peak pilgrimage times. However, it was an example of a location where there was no adjacent facility to provide an income stream to support the toilet provision.

Cllr W Fredericks, Deputy Leader, said that she wanted to comment on the wider budget situation. She said that many residents may query why council tax had been raised earlier in the year if the Council was now thinking of closing some facilities. It was important to remember that the district council only retained 8% of council tax income and it was hard to maintain everything on a relatively small income stream. Toilets were not a statutory service and hard decisions had to made about where to focus spending – particularly when so many households were struggling. The Chairman added that the council tax increase only generated an additional £250k.

Cllr Dr V Holliday asked whether there would be a consultation with the parish council before the facility at Weybourne was closed. Closure was currently scheduled for the end of the month so time was limited. The Chairman replied that he couldn’t commit to delaying the timeline but reassured Cllr Holliday that discussion with the parish council would take place as soon as possible.

Cllr Shires said that she wanted to change the recommendation slightly so that option 1 included that Cabinet was looking to work with Town and Parish councils.

The Chief Executive clarified that the preferred recommendation should set out that full and winter closures for some facilities were progressed whilst including a reference to engaging with town and parish councils and other interested stakeholders regarding the possible transfer of some sites. This would allow for a flexible and open approach. He added that this was the first report of a number coming forward in the next few months as the Council sought to balance the budget for 2025/2026.

Cllr H Blathwayt sought advice on whether he should abstain from voting as some of the sites were in the Broads and he was Chairman of the Broads Authority.

It was proposed by Cllr L Shires, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

RESOLVED that

Option 1 - Full and winter closures is progressed by officers, for the least well used and most aged sites in terms of management or maintenance, to include discussions with town and parish councils and other interested parties, regarding possible transfer of sites, where there is a particular context for doing so.

Cllr H Blathwayt abstained.