Conwy County Borough Council has announced changes to public toilet services, with some toilets closing while others in Council buildings will be made available to the public.
21 public toilet facilities will remain open across the county, some on a seasonal basis from Easter to the first week of September. Meanwhile, 19 toilets in Council buildings will be available for everyone to use, alongside toilets in businesses signed up to the Council’s community toilet scheme.
Cllr Goronwy Edwards, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Transport and Facilities said:
“Every Council service has had to find significant financial savings for 2024/25. As part of this, we have reviewed options for public toilets. We no longer have budget to subsidise public toilets, so we have to recoup all running costs from paid-for facilities.
“Closing toilets is a difficult decision for us to make. We have considered how much facilities get used, where there are other toilets available nearby, and how often facilities are vandalised and the ongoing repair costs.”
The list of 20 toilets scheduled for closure on 4 September 2024 includes several which are already unavailable to the public because of repeated vandalism, such as Maelgwyn Road in Llandudno Junction and Ivy Street in Colwyn Bay.
From July, the public will be able to use toilet facilities in Council buildings such as offices, leisure centres and libraries, even if they are not using other services in the building.
Further toilets are available through the Council’s community toilet scheme, where approved businesses allow the public to use their facilities without making a purchase.
There are also four public toilets that are run by Town and Community Councils, in Penmachno, Dolwyddelan, Llansannan and Llangernyw which are not affected by these changes. Additionally, Abergele Town Council, Conwy Town Council, Llanfair TH Community Council and Trefriw Community Council are providing sponsorship towards keeping toilets open in their areas.
