To addresses the issues arising from a Petition reported at the meeting of the Full Council held on 22 January 2019.

RESOLVED that –

(a)         Cabinet, having regard to the vote of the Council taken at its meeting on 22 January 2019 at which it had considered a petition placed before it to replace those toilets which had been closed for being not fit for purpose, agrees that no further action should be taken in respect of this petition, thereby reaffirming the will of the Council in respect of its support for the Public Conveniences Strategy, adopted in June 2017; and

(b)         the Leisure and Tourism Portfolio Holder be requested to undertake a review of the Council’s Public Conveniences Strategy (which will also include the Portfolio Holder inviting scrutiny of that Strategy by the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee) in view of any changed circumstances with regard to the Non-Domestic Rates regime.

Earlier in the meeting Councillor Broderick had declared a personal interest in this matter insofar as she was one of the petitioners.

Cabinet was aware that, at the meeting of Council held on 22 January 2019, the Chief Executive had reported the receipt of a petition submitted by Councillors Broderick, Winfield and King.  The petition had been signed by 247 residents of the District and requested that the Council reopened or replaced the closed public convenience at Ipswich Road, Holland-on-Sea. The front page of the Petition stated:-

“This petition is demanding that TDC maintains your human right to “spend a penny” by re-opening (or better still replacing) the Ipswich Road toilet.”

In accordance with the Council’s scheme and following reporting of the petition at Council in January, Councillors Broderick, Winfield and King had been requested to nominate a lead petitioner to present the petition to Cabinet at this meeting.

Issues arising from the petition had been investigated in accordance with the provisions of the Council’s approved scheme for dealing with petitions and the outcome of that investigation together with the current position was before Cabinet as part of item A.1 of the Report of the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism. In particular, that investigation had highlighted that the closure of the Ipswich Road toilet had been supported by the local Holland Residents’ Association and that it had been almost two years before the first objection to the closure had been received by the Council from a member of the public, which had then been followed by the petition received on 3 January 2019.

Members were aware that the Council’s strategy for public convenience provision adopted in June 2017 supported a programme of refurbishment and service improvement for public toilets and ensured that all areas of the District previously operating public toilets would continue to do so. The strategy also stated that the Council would close those facilities identified as uneconomic to continue to operate, or were under-used by reason of their poor location or anti-social behaviour. 

It was reported that the Council had achieved a year-on-year revenue saving of £100,000 arising from the implementation of the public convenience strategy, but had also invested, to date, £200,000 in new and improved facilities.

Councillor Winfield, as the lead petitioner, explained the petition and outlined the action that the petitioners wanted the Council to take. 

Having considered both the petition and the information provided in the Officers’ report:-

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmi and:-

RESOLVED that –

(a)       Cabinet, having regard to the vote of the Council taken at its meeting on 22 January 2019 at which it had considered a petition placed before it to replace those toilets which had been closed for being not fit for purpose, agrees that no further action should be taken in respect of this petition, thereby reaffirming the will of the Council in respect of its support for the Public Conveniences Strategy, adopted in June 2017; and

(b)       the Leisure and Tourism Portfolio Holder be requested to undertake a review of the Council’s Public Conveniences Strategy (which will also include the Portfolio Holder inviting scrutiny of that Strategy by the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee) in view of any changed circumstances  with regards to the impact of changes to by Government to National Non-Domestic Rates.