Agenda item

Decision

RESOLVED

Cabinet is asked to:-

1)    to confirm its support for discussions being progressed with local businesses at Potter Heigham with the objective of securing sponsorship to meet the costs of retaining the Potter Heigham public toilets;

2)    to agree that proposals and a business case be prepared for a new public toilet facility to be developed on, or adjoining, the District Council’s public car park and principal bus stop at the western end of the High Street in Stalham with a report being presented to Cabinet on such a proposal in the future.  In the meantime, the existing toilets will be retained for a minimum of twelve months.

3)    to agree that the public toilets in Walsingham be retained at least until March 2026 with further discussions being held with local partners as to whether a sustainable financial model for the facilities can be agreed in the medium-term.

4)    to retain the West Runton public toilets at least for this summer (through until the end of September 2025) with further discussions being held with local partners as to whether a sustainable financial model for the facilities can be agreed in the medium-term.

5)    to confirm its support for the position adopted in removing the leased unit at Beach Lane, Weybourne realising a financial saving of approximately £26,000 per annum and retaining the eco-loo at this location and monitoring its use / mis-use and to advise that we will continue to work with Weybourne Parish Council to establish if a more sustainable location can be found for the provision of a public toilet in the village.

Reasons for the decision:

To deliver savings from the public toilet budget as part of preparing the 2025/26 budget and help reduce the deficits shown in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy given contract, wage and energy inflation, significant increases in the Temporary Accommodation and homelessness support and no increase in the District Council’s spending power.

The Chairman thanked parish councils, businesses and local members for their positive engagement on this matter. He said that it was acknowledged that with the possibility of the formation of a large unitary authority on the horizon, that the provision of services such as public conveniences were being put under considerable pressure. He added that discussions were ongoing as the Council sought to ensure that these quite disparate assets were retained for the long term, whilst recognising that many of them were isolated from any nearby revenue opportunities. Discussions continued regarding Potter Heigham and Stalham would be retained in its current location for at least 12 months to allow for further engagement with the Town Council. Likewise, the site in Walsingham would be retained until March 2026 and West Runton until the end of the summer season. The Chairman said that appreciable savings had already been achieved and further ongoing savings would be detailed in the Budget report. There was still a lot of work to be done however to ensure future provision was retained in some form.

Cllr L Shires added that it was important to focus on how assets could be protected for local communities in the future. It was the revenue spend that required savings but the achievement of a balanced budget for this year had bought some time for the immediate future. Cllr Toye reiterated that work was ongoing to ensure that facilities were retained where they were most needed.

Cllr V Holliday sought assurance that Weybourne Eco toilet would be kept open. The Chairman said that the level of abuse at that facility meant that it would be reviewed and if it became too much to deal with then it would be closed. Conversations with the Parish Council would continue to see if a more sustainable option was available.

Cllr T FitzPatrick thanked the Chairman and the Chief Executive for attending a meeting in Walsingham to discuss concerns regarding the public conveniences in the village. He said that he was also appreciative that a year’s delay for the introduction of any changes had been agreed. He then referred to page 142, section 2.44 and the reference to the facilities being used by a large number of pilgrims and the cost being borne by the churches. He said that there were actually toilet provisions at both shrines and that a lot of the visitors to the council-owned toilets were not pilgrims but members of the public – either walking or visiting the miniature railway. He asked that the approach set out in the paper was reconsidered to reflect this. The Chairman replied that the Council understood the value of the services provided in Walsingham and he recognised that, like may of the facilities across the district, they were unique in terms of usage, location etc. He added that Walsingham’s importance to the tourism offer of the district was acknowledged and it was hoped that the facility could be retained. He offered to liaise with Cllr FitzPatrick and the local community in the coming months.

Cllr H Blathwayt said that he welcomed these conversations taking place before devolution so that there was an opportunity to preserve local facilities before a larger unitary authority was formed.

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

RESOLVED

Cabinet is asked to:-

1)    to confirm its support for discussions being progressed with local businesses at Potter Heigham with the objective of securing sponsorship to meet the costs of retaining the Potter Heigham public toilets;

2)    to agree that proposals and a business case be prepared for a new public toilet facility to be developed on, or adjoining, the District Council’s public car park and principal bus stop at the western end of the High Street in Stalham with a report being presented to Cabinet on such a proposal in the future.  In the meantime, the existing toilets will be retained for a minimum of twelve months.

3)    to agree that the public toilets in Walsingham be retained at least until March 2026 with further discussions being held with local partners as to whether a sustainable financial model for the facilities can be agreed in the medium-term.

4)    to retain the West Runton public toilets at least for this summer (through until the end of September 2025) with further discussions being held with local partners as to whether a sustainable financial model for the facilities can be agreed in the medium-term.

5)    to confirm its support for the position adopted in removing the leased unit at Beach Lane, Weybourne realising a financial saving of approximately £26,000 per annum and retaining the eco-loo at this location and monitoring its use / mis-use and to advise that we will continue to work with Weybourne Parish Council to establish if a more sustainable location can be found for the provision of a public toilet in the village.

Reasons for the decision:

To deliver savings from the public toilet budget as part of preparing the 2025/26 budget and help reduce the deficits shown in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy given contract, wage and energy inflation, significant increases in the Temporary Accommodation and homelessness support and no increase in the District Council’s spending power.