Eastbourne councillor voices concern over proposal to close public toilets in the town

The proposals, which would rely on businesses opening their facilities to the public, has sparked widespread concern among residents and business owners.

Eastbourne Councillor Jane Lamb has called for a reconsideration of these plans, arguing that the proposed 'Community Toilet Scheme' is ‘deeply flawed’.

She said: "To propose that people just use businesses' toilets instead will depend entirely on those businesses being open and the goodwill of their owners. Many will, of course, feel pressure to make a purchase, which will hurt our poorest residents the most.

“The Council needs to rethink these plans, listen to residents, and keep our most important toilets open.”

Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt said public toilets cost the authority £300,000 to maintain last year, with an additional £100,000 spent on vandalism repairs.

He said: “There was not a week that went by where all our toilets were operational last year.

“According to the British Toilet Association, over 60 per cent of public toilets have closed in the last decade due to costs and other pressures and we want to work with all partners to find a sustainable solution.

"This may be under a community toilet scheme.

"At Full Council last week, we agreed cross-party to join our council motions together for the good of our town – where we clearly stated that we recognised the importance of public toilets.

"I want to repeat what the consultation is doing: seeking the views of residents, businesses, stakeholders and visitors so that Cabinet can make a future decision with an intention to protect the provision of toilets, including using the best examples of other authorities with the aim to: protect the overall level of public convenience provision in the town; make the best use of council resources; increase the quality of provision, and improve the resilience of the public conveniences in managing antisocial behaviour and vandalism.

“The response we have had from potential operators and partners to the proposed community toilet scheme is positive and we continue our discussions, and I'd welcome any organisations to get in touch if they would like more information.”

A consultation on these closures will end on October 31.