A CONCERNED Rhyl councillor questioned the council’s plans to transfer public toilets to the management of Denbighshire Leisure Ltd.
At a meeting this week, cabinet members voted in favour of closing public conveniences at St Asaph, Rhuddlan, and Dyserth in a cost-cutting exercise that will also see six other public toilets upgraded.
But before the vote was taken in favour of the move, backbench Rhyl councillor Brian Jones raised concerns that the council was planning to transfer some facilities over to the council-owned Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL).
As part of the local toilet strategy, Denbighshire Council is looking to introduce cashless payment systems on upgraded toilets at Rhyl, Prestatyn, Denbigh, Ruthin, Llangollen, and Corwen.
After a failed grant bid to Welsh Government, the council is now looking to apply for Lottery funds to pay for the upgrades.
But Denbighshire is also looking at other ways of managing its public toilets, including asking businesses to allow the public to use toilets for a £500-a-year payment and transferring facilities to town and community councils – as well as other third-parties.
Cllr Brian Jones said at Tuesday’s meeting he was concerned DLL were also in the mix for taking over toilets in Rhyl, with concerns about the company’s financial situation, citing council papers detailing the plans not made public.
“We had briefing papers sent out last week or a paper about today separate to the papers, and in there, there was reference to the Events Arena toilets (in Rhyl) and that DLL might be taking them on,” he said.
“I think it is £37,000 per annum for the upkeep of the running of those toilets, so how can a company who has posted three years of losses at Companies House be taking on another burden of £37,000 a year? I couldn’t get my head around that.”
Council officer Paul Jackson responded: “I won’t comment on the DLL finances. It is not really an area I have any knowledge of, so apologies for that.
“All I will say is, yes, discussions have been taking place with third parties. DLL are one of them, about some of the facilities and their appetite to take them over.
“It’s part of the proposal today that – where we can, if it’s right to do so, and (if) it’s financially viable to do so – we will transfer those facilities to third parties.”
The cabinet voted in favour of the strategy to close three public toilets and upgrade six, with discussions ongoing involving third-party transfers of other facilities.
