Few prepared to take on running of public loos

Rother District Council's services overview and scrutiny committee will be told on Monday the future of public toilet provision remains uncertain and action needs to be taken.

A public conveniences working group had issued a report suggesting other organisations be asked to take on the loos as a cost-saving measure.

But a report by director of services Tony Leonard will tell members few groups are interested in the offer and those who are will not accept the deal on the current financial basis.

The committee must decide if negotiations should continue with these organisations and what action to take over loos where no interest in the plans has been shown.

A recommendation will then be passed to cabinet.

Bexhill Old Town Preservation Society has said it will not run Manor Barn toilets "under any circumstances."

Of the public loos at Little Common Roundabout, Little Common Traders Association took the view, 'managing and cleaning these facilities was not a job for them and would decline any offer to transfer them from the local authority'.

No organised body was identified in Sidley to run the village toilets.

Bexhill United Football Club and Bexhill Bowls Liaison Committee have asked to continue discussions over the grandstand and pavilion toilets at the Polegrove.

The bowls committee would like the bowls pavilion loos to be used by bowls players only.

Mr Leonard said: "The offer of devolvement for public convenience provision was made on the basis of no worsening of the financial position of the council. However, where there is an outlined expressed interest by a town or parish council, it is apparent they wish to see the devolvement come with a financial package the council is currently unable to accommodate.

"Whilst the review has been useful in understanding the challenges facing this council in providing public convenience services, the offer of devolvement has not been particularly encouraging.

"Perhaps most apparent is that Rother District Council has extremely good value for money in the provision of public conveniences and that it is unable to be matched, or perhaps that public convenience provision is under-resourced and the need to invest is long overdue. It is the view of the officers that it is a mixture of the two."

He added a tight time schedule had to observed for contracts to be in place by April 1 2008.