25
Apr
‘Stop taxing our bladders’ plea as toilet charges loom
A Harrogate councillor has urged Conservative politicians to rethink plans to charge 40p to use public toilets in North Yorkshire.
Tory-controlled North Yorkshire Council this week agreed to adopt an entry charge for public conveniences.
But the charge was branded “illegal and immoral” by Councillor Josie Caven, a Liberal Democrat who represents Kingsley on Harrogate Town Council.
Cllr Caven, who is deaf, also said the move “creates an added challenge and deepens the discrimination against the disabled community”.
She said:
Charging people for a basic biological necessity isn't just a minor inconvenience. It’s a smelly decision that needs to go. Forcing someone to faff about with a stinky app or hunt for exact change while their body is on a timer? That’s a wee bit much to ask.
The Equality Act mandates equal access. Making access conditional, well that idea is circling the drain.
Public health is a right, not a service we should pay for. People with disabilities often pay above and beyond for day to day living and should exist in Harrogate being able to access the town centre without the added stress and cost. It’s time to stop the flow of these unfair charges.
Stop taxing our bladders and start prioritising human dignity. Let’s wipe this ridiculous fee out for good.
The public toilets on Waterside in Knaresborough.
Free to pee campaign
Councils are not legally obliged to pay for public toilets. However, many residents feel their council tax entitles them to the service.
Cllr Richard Foster, North Yorkshire Council’s executive councillor for managing our environment, defended introducing charges this week.
Responding to fellow Tory, Cllr Keane Duncan, who has run a ‘free to pee’ campaign, Cllr Foster said:
I have heard about the free to pee campaign. It would be great, but there is a cost. Unfortunately, there is not a free pee.
Somebody pays for it somewhere. The cleaning fee, the water rates, the electricity and the consumables that go into toilets have a cost.
North Yorkshire has the largest network of public toilets in the UK. Of the 93 toilets, 65 are free to use.
It inherited most of the toilets after it took over from district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, in April 2023.
The council set up a cross-party public conveniences working group last year to find ways to develop the service.
As part of the policy adopted on April 21, those toilets that are currently free to use will soon become charged-for facilities with an entry fee of 40p.
Where it cannot implement charging infrastructure for toilets, it will install “physical or digital honesty boxes”.
Some of the council’s public conveniences are in poor condition, have low usage or are already near other loos.
As a result, the local authority plans to close some of these toilets. However, this will be done in consultation with town and parish councils who may wish to take over the operation of such facilities.
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