By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
Spending a penny in Powys costs in excess of 20p a time, according to planners who are launching a consultation to decide what public toilets should be provided in the future.
Powys County Council (PCC) is holding a consultation as it aims to publish a Public Toilet Strategy by the end of May next year, and one of the proposals is that shops, pubs or restaurants could be used as public conveniences. This already happens in other parts of Wales.
Although there is no requirement for county councils to provide and maintain public toilets directly, some towns, like Welshpool and Llanfyllin, pay for public toilets out of their own local tax payers’ pockets after it was proved how important these facilities are once PCC pulled funding four years ago. Welshpool is going one step further by creating a special Changing Places facility for people with severe handicaps (like the one pictured).
Part 8 of the Public Health Wales Act which came into force on May 31 this year expects each county council in Wales to prepare and publish a local toilets strategy for its area.
As part of the strategy, PCC will need to map out the provision in the county and then consider where any gaps are and what can be done to resolve this.
A spokesman for PCC said: “We have begun to map out provision, but we are also keen to find out residents’ views on the state of public toilets and where there may be gaps.
“There is no budget from the Welsh Government to create or improve the provision of public toilets.
“The onus is on highlighting where public toilets facilities already exist so people can find them easier. Where people highlight gaps it is about considering further options and collaborating with communities and businesses to meet these needs.
“Some people with long term health conditions may feel unable or reluctant to leave their homes because they fear they will not be able to find a public toilet.
“While parents/carers of young children will often need to find a toilet at short notice.”
The consultation comes to an end on Sunday, November 11, and the strategy will need to be published by May 31, 2019.
It is expected that The Welsh Government will collect all the information and produce a digital map and app so that people can find out where the nearest public toilets are at the touch of a button.