Issue - meetings

Deputation

The Council received a deputation around the lack of public toilet provision in Haringey on behalf of an organisation called Loos for Haringey, who were linked to the Haringey Over 50s forum. The deputation party was made up of: Patrice Wellesley-Cole; Gordon Peters; Ceri Williams; and Dr John Miles. The following key points of the deputation were noted:

• The lack of clean, accessible public toilets trapped people at home and prevented them from getting out and about. It was suggested that one in five got out of the house less than they would like, because of a lack of available toilets.
• Isolation and loneliness for people over 50 was a major factor.
• Only around 33% of public toilets in London are accessible to disabled people.
• The benefits of improving public toilet provision were set out as: people spending more time in Haringey shopping areas, businesses and cafés; reducing social isolation in Haringey; improving active lifestyles and tackling ill health.
• The deputation party requested that a meeting with a nominated Cabinet Member to discuss their concerns. They also requested that Haringey developed a strategy for improving public toilet provision and reported back on implementing this.
• Loos for Haringey advised that they had interacted with LBH officers and had met positive responses from the Ageing well partnership Board, but that they were requesting that the Council adopt a joined-up approach. Concerns were raised about particular areas of shut-off toilets, such as at Turnpike Lane; those in poor condition, such as at Chestnuts Park; and the lack of public toilet provision at Tottenham Hale Retail Park.

The following arose in discussion of the deputation:

1. The Committee sought clarification about what was being requested and also sought the deputation party’s views on the use of toilets owned by private businesses. In response, the deputation party advised that they recognised the importance of the community toilet scheme and the changing places scheme but the changing places scheme was only for those with a disability. Therefore, there needed to be a more joined up approach.
2. The Committee sought clarification about the proposed toilet strategy and how the community could be engaged on this. The toilet strategy had a key role in bringing all of the different strands together and to set out how and when the Council would improve provision. The deputation party commented that they were asking for a strategy with mixed providers and one which provided toilets that were geographically well spread around the borough.
3. The Committee commented on the need for different types of public toilets, including specialist public toilet provision for disabled children.
4. The Committee queried whether the deputation party was seeking the re-provision of disused public toilets or whether new toilets should be provided through planning requirements for future developments. In response, the Committee was advised that as part of a joined up approach that planning policy should play a role in provision of new public toilets but what was missing was that nobody in the Council seemed to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68