Angus Council is to go to staff consultation over plans to get rid of the area’s last loo attendants.
Seven staff are facing the axe in the move to make three Superloos unmanned.
The toilets are at the Buttermarket in Forfar, Arbroath’s Market Place and Baltic Street, Montrose.
And a last-ditch attempt by local opposition councillors to try to retain the attendants failed at a meeting of Angus Council.
It was made amidst fears the town centre loos could become vandal-hit drug or drinking dens.
But council chiefs say that didn’t happen in other Angus towns which lost their Superloos.
And the cost-cutting move will save the council more than £60,000.
Referral to full council
Arbroath councillor David Fairweather took the matter to full council after a previous communities committee decision to begin the staff consultation.
He wanted to see an options appraisal carried out which might allow attendants to be kept on.
“Not all of the Forfar, Arbroath or Montrose members got the chance to have their say at that time,” the former council leader said.
“I have been approached by people and read in the press the real worries people have that these toilets will be drinking and drug dens.
“I don’t want to be coming back within months saying we have paid out the saving of £61,000 in the cost of repairs, vandalism and other things.”
Montrose councillor Tommy Stewart added: “We have already put in what were supposed to be vandal-proof toilets in Forfar and Montrose and they have been hit.
“Baltic Street in Montrose is not covered by CCTV and it concerns me that we might end up spending more fixing vandalised toilets than we’re going to save here.”
Visitor numbers at the three Superloos have plummeted.
The busiest toilet is the Buttermarket but user numbers dropped from more than 28,000 in 2016/17 to less than 23,000 in 2018/19.
And the council subsidy for every user continues to rise.
It costs the authority £2.41 for every customer at Baltic Street in Montrose.
Market Place in Arbroath is £2.21 and the Buttermarket £1.71.
The 30p charge for using a Superloo has not returned since the pandemic.
Vandalism concerns dismissed
Communities convener Mark MacDonald said officers had considered the vandalism risk in delivering the report recommending the toilets become unmanned.
“Vandalism shouldn’t be a reason for us not making decisions,” said the Carnoustie councillor.
“There is to be regular checks by the community safety team and the environmental health cleaning team.
“The people of Brechin and Kirriemuir had this decision taken many years ago and there has been no significant issues with the facilities in those towns.
“This is to keep the toilets there and what we are looking for is to reduce the high cost.
“It costs £2.21 every time someone goes for a pee in Arbroath, £1.71 in Forfar and £2.41 in Montrose.
“It’s not sustainable – we’ve got to look at ways of keeping the toilets open.”
The council also wants to bring more businesses on board a ‘comfort partnership’ scheme which allows people to use their toilers.
But there are just four premises across the whole of Angus which are currently involved in the scheme.
Councillors voted 13-12 to consult with staff over making the Superloos unmanned.
Attendants could be deployed to other roles or offered early retirement or voluntary redundancy.
