Issue - meetings
Public Toilet Financial Review
Meeting: 06/02/2023 - Cabinet (Item 98)
98 Public Toilet Financial Review 
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Purpose
To inform Cabinet of the overall cost of public toilet provision, and to provide options for revising charges. Additional resource has been set aside within the capital programme to equip all sites with cash and card payment systems.
Recommendations
That Cabinet resolves to:
· Endorse the inclusion of £50,000 within the Council’s Capital Programme (considered elsewhere on the agenda) to allow for the potential installation of cash and card payment facilities at all sites;
· Delegate the decision to install cash and card payment facilities on a site-by-site basis to the Group Manager for Resident Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services in line with the process set out at paragraph 2.5;
· Approve a waiver of the Council’s Contract Rules for the reason set out at paragraph 2.6;
· Approve an increase in service charges to 40p at all chargeable sites with effect from 1 April 2023 in line with the options appraisal presented at paragraphs 2.8 to 2.13.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The purpose of the report was to inform Cabinet of the overall cost of public toilet provision, and to provide options for revising charges. Additional resource had been set aside within the capital programme to equip sites with card payment systems.
The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services introduced the report and explained the reasons for updating the method of payment and the charging structure. This was focussed around the decline of cash use and the increasing costs of running the service.
Cabinet noted that card payments had been successfully introduced at Bourton-On -The-Water, where most payments are now made by card.
Cabinet noted that local authorities were not required to provide public toilets but Cotswold District Council had decided to make provision for this and currently had 15 public toilets across the Cotswolds.
Cabinet noted that increasing public toilet charges to 40p would enable the cost of delivering the service to remain largely unchanged.
RESOLVED: Cabinet AGREED to endorse the inclusion of £50,000 within the Council’s Capital Programme (considered elsewhere on the agenda) to allow for the potential installation of cash and card payment facilities at all sites, and delegate the decision to install cash and card payment facilities on a site-by-site basis to the Assistant Director for Resident Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services in line with the process set out at paragraph 2.5.
Approve a waiver of the Council’s Contract Rules for the reason set out at paragraph 2.6; and increase service charges to 40p at all chargeable sites with effect from 1 April 2023 in line with the options appraisal presented at paragraphs 2.8 to 2.13
Voting Record – For 8, Against 0, Abstentions 0, Absent 0,