A report by the charity this week warns that the issue is a “serious public health concern”, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter
Photo by Gabor Monori on Unsplash
Almost 100 of the capital’s public toilets have closed over the last ten years, according to new research by Age UK London.
A report by the charity this week warns that the issue is a “serious public health concern” and reveals that the last decade has seen around three times as many public loos being shut or removed by councils as were opened by them.
John McGeachy, Age UK London’s campaign manager, said: “Public toilets are essential for a civilised and welcoming city. For older people, those with health conditions and many others, the availability of public toilets can determine whether they feel able to leave their homes.
“We’ve known provision has been declining in London and across the country for a long time, but this new report means we have a much clearer picture about the scale of decline. We urge all relevant bodies to take immediate action to address this pressing issue.”
Age UK London’s research was conducted by sending Freedom of Information requests to all 33 of London’s local councils, though only 30 responded, and some of those that did were not able to provide all the requested information.
The data revealed that, within 25 of those boroughs which responded to a sufficient level of detail, at least 97 of the public toilets they were responsible for were closed between the financial years 2013/14 and 2023/24.
In at least 14 boroughs, no new public loos were opened at all in that same time-span. About 32 new public toilets were opened however across eleven other boroughs.
The report urges councils to draw up bespoke strategies to boost the number of publicly accessible loos in their areas, and for the government to “fund local authorities sufficiently so that they can achieve good provision of public toilets”.
A spokesperson at London Councils – the capital’s local government association – said in response to the report: “Boroughs are keenly aware of the importance of public toilets.
“Although there is support for expanding toilet provision in the capital, the enormous funding constraints facing boroughs mean this can be extremely challenging. We will note the recommendations of this report and continue to work with partners on this agenda.”
Analysis by London Councils shows that boroughs’ funding per Londoner has fallen by 28% since 2010, amid an 11% growth in London’s population and “dramatic rises in demand for services”, the group said.
London Councils also estimates that boroughs will collectively face a funding gap of at least £500m in the coming year.
A spokesman at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Local authorities are best placed to understand local priorities, including on the important issue of provision of public toilets.
“We know that councils have suffered from short-term solutions, which is why we are injecting £69bn of funding into council budgets across England to help them drive forward the government’s Plan for Change.”
The report separately recommends that City Hall should draw up a public toilets plan to coordinate action on improving public toilet provision across London, with a designated staff member to oversee the plan.
Their responsibilities “should include working with boroughs and community organisations to identify ‘loo deserts’ and develop solutions”, Age UK London said.
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