Agenda item

John McGeachy, Campaigns Manager, Age UK London will be attending to present.

A document setting out the views of older Londoners on loos, along with recommendations is attached,  as well as three briefing papers devised by Age UK for  local authorities on  developing toilet strategies, community toilet schemes and the role of planning.

The chair drew the commission’s attention to the Age UK London documentation in the main agenda, which sets out the views of older Londoners on loos, as well as three briefing papers devised by Age UK London for local authorities.

She advised that John Miles, Kilburn Older Voices Exchange, has sent his apologies for the following item, a Toilet Manifesto for London, however John McGeachy has kindly agreed to cover this briefly. The Manifesto for London is in the main agenda.

The chair then invited John McGeachy, Campaigns Manager, Age UK London to present.

The Campaigns Manager gave a summary of the reports circulated.

In addition he referred to good practice by London Local Authorities on providing Community Toilet schemes whereby councils work with local businesses to enable community access:

• Lewisham Council have teamed up with Lewisham Local to conduct community engagement with businesses and provide a map. They also award an annual ‘loo of the year’.

• A number of boroughs including Tower Hamlets, Islington, Merton and Richmond are undertaking a review of their toilet provision, including revisiting their Community Toilet schemes.

The Campaigns Manager also gave feedback from the Loos for Southwark, a campaign group of Southwark residents brought together and supported by Age UK London as part of the London Loos campaign. He made the following points:

• Access to toilets should not be based on ability to pay. Toilets should be free.

• Community Toilets work in day but not so much night, and cannot meet the needs of delivery drivers or the nighttime economy.

• There is particularly poor provision around Peckham.

• Following a long campaign planning permission was granted in 2016 for toilets as part of the redevelopment of land around Peckham Rye station. However as yet there is still no toilet.

• The toilets at Sainsbury’s East Dulwich were commended.

• Southwark Park (Pavilion Café by the lake) has good toilets.

• Other parks could benefit from toilets. There are toilets at Belair Park but they may be closing and concern that Belair House venue does not have accessible toilets.

• People do not know where toilets are even if they are available. There is a lack of information available to the public about the location of toilets.

• Provision is patchy at best.

• More toilets are needed in shopping areas.

• It can be really stressful finding a loo.

• Some toilets are in a state of disrepair and very uninviting as a result of anti-social behaviour.

• The provision of public toilets should be a statutory duty.

The chair then invited comments and questions from the commission and the following points were made:

• A member agreed with the importance of toilets being free. It was noted that there are costs associated with maintaining toilets such as cleaning.

• Some people will use available pubs and other places - however some people are not confident to use these.

• There are cohort of people with medical conditions who really need hygienic conditions. The Campaigns Manager agreed that cleanliness is a key issue.

• Businesses can be closed at weekends. 

• Bins are needed for men with prostate cancer - sanitary bins are needed in toilets for both sexes. There is campaign on this: Boys need Bins.

• Members said that Community Toilets can be part of the solution but not the only solution.

• The Peckham Rye community campaigned to include toilets in the station but officers were less keen and it is possible this was due to concerns are around anti-social behaviour. The Campaigns Manager advised that that Tower Hamlets has worked with police to toilets make safer. 

RESOLVED

John McGeachy, Campaigns Manager, Age UK London will provide more information on combating anti-social behaviour.