Businesses in Scarborough are to be asked to make their toilets available to the public.
Plans for a ‘community toilet initiative’ will be progressed by Scarborough Town Council following concerns about the low number of public conveniences in Scarborough town centre.
At a full meeting of the council on Thursday (February 26) members approved a proposal whereby local businesses would make their bathroom facilities available for use by the general public.
Councillors said that cafés, pubs, and retail premises could voluntarily make their toilet facilities available for public use during opening hours, in return for “modest financial support, signage, and inclusion in promotional materials”.
Commenting online when the proposal was announced, a local coffee shop owner said:
“Why should we volunteer for people to come in and use the toilets?
“If you were abroad, for example, in Italy, you would have the decency to go in and buy something and then ask if you could use a toilet.”
She said:
“It’s not just one person, sometimes it’s five or six in one go, so it’s not fair on small businesses.”
A report presented at the full meeting stated that
“such schemes are widely used by town and parish councils to improve access to toilet provision, particularly where there is limited direct control over public conveniences”.
Town mayor, Cllr Thomas Murray, said:
“It is a quick, practical step we can take to help meet a clear community need. Larger infrastructure solutions require engagement with North Yorkshire Council and, as many will know, that process rarely moves at lightning speed, so we are acting where we can.
“Scarborough Town Council is looking at realistic, deliverable solutions within our powers, doing what a town council can do, and doing it properly.”
At the meeting, councillors agreed that they would engage with North Yorkshire Council for the necessary permissions or coordination and assess potential budget implications and funding options, and would gauge interest from local businesses and identify possible pilot locations.
The town clerk will be tasked with exploring the feasibility, costs, and legal implications of establishing the scheme.
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