“Flushed away”- Welsh Lib Dems urge Welsh Government to support maintenance of public toilets

This week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to assist community groups and local councils in the operating and maintaining of essential public facilities.

According to the Old People’s Commissioner, concerns over toilet access can act as a “loo leash”. Discouraging people, such as those with health conditions, from leaving their homes.

Speaking to the Siambr, party leader Jane Dodds MS used the example of Rhayader town council who, after taking over the operation of public toilets along the A44 and A470 in 2015, have been struggling to keep up with financing these amenities due to a lack of funding support.

The Welsh Lib Dems have highlighted the importance of public toilets, both for the millions of tourists that visit Wales each year but also for the local population.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“The pressure placed on our small communities to maintain access to these basic amenities is immense, towns and villages consisting of a few thousand are being asked to fund facilities used by millions each year.

The reality is public toilets are essential pieces of infrastructure, not simply for the millions of tourists that visit Wales, but also for the local population.

The right to accessing decent standard toilets is a basic human right, and for many people living with certain health conditions this can be the difference between living their lives freely or being locked in their homes.

We call on the Welsh government to step in and support local councils and community groups in the operating and maintenance of public toilets, to ensure that the people of Wales have access to these much-needed facilities.”