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Issue - meetings
Community Toilet Scheme Update
Meeting: 20/03/2018 - Communities, Housing and Environment Committee (Item 143)
143 Community Toilet Scheme Update PDF 1 MB
Additional documents:
- Appendix 1 - Legal Agreement, item 143
PDF 99 KB View as HTML (143/2) 38 KB
- Appendix 2 - Monitoring Sheet, item 143
PDF 256 KB
- Appendix 3 - CTS leaflet, item 143
PDF 424 KB
Minutes:
The Committee considered the report of Mr John Edwards, Street Scene Operational Manager, which gave an update on the Community Toilet Scheme which enabled residents and visitors to Maidstone the use of private toilet facilities which had been provided by a number of local businesses.
Mr Edwards advised
that there were now a total of 9 businesses or facilities signed up
to the scheme. He emphasised that
there had been improved signage of the locations, especially down
by the riverside. In addition,
information was provided on the Council’s website and public
facing applications.
In response to questions from Members, the Officer advised
that:-
·
Should the Council provide funding to a privately owned business to
accommodate a changing places area, then that establishment would
be tied into a 3 to 4 year membership of the Scheme.
- The reason
for the reduction in numbers of participants was that the
facilities were not considered up to standard and therefore taken
off the list.
- It would
not make any difference to the number of participants to the scheme
if more money was offered.
- If the
Council were to have pods installed, following experiences of other
Councils, these are open to vandalism and are a target to be
robbed.
-
That copies of the Monitoring Check
Sheets of the current participants would be sent through to Members
by email.
That CIL
contributions may be able to be used for public toilet
facilities. However, the Business Rates
Retention Scheme only allows for investment opportunities that
would generate additional income.
The following observations were made by Members:-
?
That there should be public toilet facilities in the town for all
to use.
?
That Members had previously spoke to the landlord of the Market
Buildings with a view to re-opening the toilet facilities in that
location but nothing had come of it.
?
That many of the towns in Kent have a changing places facility in
their towns and it was embarrassing that the County Town of Kent
does not and we should be working with our partners to take it
forward.
?
Perhaps One Maidstone could do more to encourage establishments
within the town centre to take up membership of the
scheme.
?
That if there was a flavour for the Council to have public toilets
in the town centre then this should be looked at and put into the
budget for next year.
RESOLVED: That Officers come
back to the Committee with a set of properly costed proposals (to
include options for grant funding, public funding and/or
partnership funding) for a 21st century facility in the town
centre.
Voting: Unanimous
·