A Highland Perthshire councillor has launched a firm defence of the region’s public toilets that were threatened as part of a cost-cutting exercise in the recent budget process.
The administration said last week the closure of 14 toilet facilities across the region would save more than £200,000 amid an unprecedented public spending squeeze. It eventually decided against the plan.
However, Councillor Ian Campbell said the replacement of the attended public toilet with an automated one in Aberfeldy had been disastrous.
The Conservative councillor said, “Unfortunately Aberfeldy has already lost its attended toilet as a result of the administration’s stance. “This has resulted in a sharp decline in coach business stopping in Aberfeldy.
“These coaches now, understandably, stop in Dunkeld, helping to maintain a vibrant economy in that small town.
“It is hoped that the administration will come to its senses and realise that closure of any toilets would have a disastrous effect on the tourism industry. The saga of Aberfeldy underlines this.
“The SNP administration’s attempt to placate the people of Aberfeldy with an automated toilet has not been a great success.Radical”This was such a good bit of radical thinking by the administration that in the first four months of use it has raised an income of £308. It’s just a pity that the cost of repairing vandalism in the same period has been £420.
“This toilet is on course over a year to cost in excess of £3.50 per flush. We’d actually be cheaper to stand in the square and give users their return bus fare to Dunkeld and 30p to use the loo once they got there.”
He said his political group backs the retention of attended public toilets.
“Unlike our colleagues in the administration we understand the needs of small towns and villages and the important role that tourism plays in their development and indeed survival.
“That is why I am delighted that the Conservative group has given full backing to the retention of attended public toilets in important tourist centres like Pitlochry, Auchterarder and Dunkeld.
“If the administration continues to enforce this policy in the future they may well be known throughout small towns and villages across Perth and Kinross as the SNP-led administration who become known as the SN-no-P administration.”ends Toilet provision attack.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user stu_spivak.