Readers' Letters: Councils are not businesses — they are there to provide a public service

Readers’ Letters is a free weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

This past week, readers had their say on our columnist Vicky Carr’s latest opinion article about North Yorkshire Council’s plans to charge for public toilets and whether councils should operate as businesses.

Totally agree with those arguments. The key phrase "councils are not businesses". Exactly. It's about time local councillors accepted their role as custodians of our money and their responsibility to spend it wisely on our needs directly.

Paul Reynolds

Absolutely agree; have just returned from Uzbekistan expecting a poor standard of public toilets. I was wrong — every restaurant had clean outside toilets available to all - if you used the restaurant, it was free, otherwise you paid a small tip.

Cheryl Johnston

My point a week ago was just that. The council exists to provide a service, not to make a profit. It is therefore impossible for it to make a loss on anything that it does. Incur costs? Yes. Make a loss? No.

Colin Harrison

Agree. Every other town and city charges for public toilets and they’re in a better state than ours. More consultation on how and where money is spent would be courteous to the local taxpayers.

Helen Nash

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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