The Chief Executive presented a report, in order to seek Cabinet approval to publish a Local Toilet Strategy in line with Part 8 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017: Provision of Toilets.

He advised that Council maintained public conveniences have undergone substantial budgetary cuts in the past few years.

In order to accommodate these savings, facilities have been closed or transferred to allow them to be retained in some format.  In order to achieve financial savings howewer, the Council carried out public consultations in 2007, 2015 and 2018, which assessed the public’s views on toilet provision.

  The Council’s ‘Comfort Scheme’ was re-introduced in 2015 to counteract the effects of public convenience closures but has not been widely utilised by local businesses.

He proceeded, by confirming, that in 2018, Welsh Government published The Provision of Toilets in Wales: Local Toilets Strategies, which placed a duty on Local Authorities to publish a local toilets strategy for its area by 31^st May 2019. The duty did not in itself require a local authority to provide and maintain public toilets themselves, but they are required to take a strategic view across their area on how these facilities can be provided and accessed by their local population. This is intended to help address the current challenges regarding the provision of public toilet facilities within communities, which have often relied upon traditional stand-alone facilities that have been in decline in recent years, due to Local Authority financial pressures.

The Chief Executive added that a draft document was circulated to all partners and businesses who currently make their toilets available for public use and their facility details were provided to Welsh Government in March 2019.

Attached to the report at Appendix A, was the final Local Toilet Strategy, that included information on collaborating partners and facilities. A map also attached to the report, indicated the distribution of these public toilets and the information in table format showed what amenities are available and the opening hours of these.

The Cabinet Member – Communities advised that some public toilets were being supported by BCB’s Town/Community Councils and/or through other related partnership or collaboration methods and that the Strategy was more about informing the public what arrangements were in place throughout the County Borough in terms of public toilet facilities, as opposed to advising what facilities are provided by BCBC. He was pleased to note the support with regard to toilet facilities being provided and made available in places visited frequently by the public by partner organisations, for example at Bryngarw House (by Arwen), the Bridgend Life Centre (Halo), Bridgend Railway Station (Network Rail), amongst others.

The Leader echoed these views and wished to place on record his thanks to the four principal Town Councils of Bridgend, Pencoed, Porthcawl and Maesteg in particular, giving independent support to the keeping open of public toilet facilities, where that provided in Pencoed was an award winning facility

RESOLVED:                           That Cabinet approved:

(1)   The Local Toilet Strategy in line with the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017:  Provision of Toilets.

(2)   Regular reviews as detailed within the report.