Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Adults, Housing and Health. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care & Wellbeing.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST MADE FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted the findings from the consultation and stakeholder?engagement work and that these informed the development of the strategy and actions.

2.    Approved the development and publication of the Haringey Toilet Strategy and action plan (Appendix 1).

3.    Noted and thanked the contributions of residents from the Loos for Haringey group in helping identify the need for the strategy and supporting its development.

Reasons for decision:

The strategy set out twenty actions to support the continued improvement and management of toilet facilities in the borough. All actions had been reviewed and agreed by the Toilet Strategy Delivery Group, which was a cross?council officer group supported by residents from Loos for Haringey. Best?practice guidance had been sought from other teams, including equalities and diversity, to ensure that the recommendations were evidence?based.

Recommendations were developed around the five strategic priorities in the strategy to address key cross?cutting issues:

• Location of public toilets and gaps in provision
• Planning and transport
• Safety and hygiene
• Inclusive access
• Communication and signage

By approving the Haringey Toilet Strategy, the Council aimed to:

• Improve the overall standard of existing and planned toilets in Haringey, particularly in Tottenham and the east of the borough where “loo deserts” existed.
• Address gaps in toilet provision to ensure future facilities were suitably located in areas of greatest need, such as parks, green spaces and shopping centres.
• Ensure integration of toilet provision into the Council’s wider planning and transport agenda, for example through the new Local Plan for Haringey and through links with key organisations such as Transport for London and the NHS.
• Provide more inclusive access for user groups with diverse needs, including older residents, people with long?term conditions and parents/families.
• Improve the provision of Changing Places facilities for people with multiple and complex disabilities.
• Help tackle wider public?health issues such as loneliness and social isolation, where some people felt unable to leave their homes due to a lack of adequate facilities.
• Improve safety and address anti?social behaviour, including graffiti and street urination, where these had been identified as concerns.
• Support the objectives set out in key plans and strategies such as Haringey 2035 – Our Vision, to create a thriving place and tackle inequalities in health and wellbeing.

Alternative options considered:

Do nothing: leaving toilet facilities as they were. This was not considered a feasible option because:

• A lack of accessible and clean facilities risked worsening public?health issues such as loneliness and social isolation, as some residents might have chosen not to leave their homes due to insufficient facilities.
• Clean and accessible toilet facilities were crucial for economically successful and inclusive high streets across Haringey.

It was agreed to amend the meeting order to take item 17 next, in order to facilitate external speakers.

The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing introduced the report.

It was explained by the Cabinet Member that access to toilet facilities while people were out in the community, as highlighted by the group Loos for Haringey, was recognised as important for enabling participation in daily activities and supporting wellbeing. As councils, businesses and other organisations experienced financial pressures, it became difficult to maintain, adapt and keep facilities clean, safe and free from anti?social behaviour.

The Cabinet Member stressed that the need for such facilities applied to a wide range of residents, including those with health conditions or disabilities, older residents, women at different life stages, families and others. It was also recognised by the Cabinet Member that some residents found it more difficult to access facilities and that using local cafés or similar venues was not an option for everyone. Concerns about the lack of suitable facilities could lead to discomfort and uncertainty.

It was explained that the strategy presented set out an initial plan to improve access to toilet facilities for residents in Haringey. Loos for Haringey contributed to its development, supporting the community survey and assisting with engagement across various community groups. It was highlighted that the strategy marked the beginning of work with the NHS, local businesses and Council teams to expand access and build agreement around improving toilet provision in Haringey and more widely across London.

Members of the Loos for Haringey Resident Group were in attendance for the item. It was explained that they had welcomed the co-production work on the action plan, and welcomed future collaboration with local government and wider authorities. It was explained that this would be welcomed across a wide range of the community.

Following questions from Councillors Brabazon, Ali and Connor, the following information was shared:

• It was explained by representatives of Loos for Haringey that there was some community tension regarding public toilets, which had led to some difficulty with consultation. It was explained, however, that there had been significant thought given to engagement and outreach in different means, including paper consultation and the limited input that comes from online consultation.
  
  
• It was explained that there was work to try and work with businesses and the NHS to encourage public toilet friendliness, as well as work to ask for an access card for public toilets for the most needy. It was explained by the Cabinet Member that there was more work to undertake on this, as well as use other Council strategies, including the Local Plan, to think about this further.
  
  
• The Cabinet Member stressed that the Council would continue to work with Loos for Haringey to continue co-producing and monitoring the implementation of the action plan.
  
  
• It was noted that the proposed card scheme was an initial proposed method to help encourage businesses to implement a scheme initially, but noted that the Council would seek to improve on this in future.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Noted the findings from the consultation and stakeholder?engagement work and that these informed the development of the strategy and actions.

2.    Approved the development and publication of the Haringey Toilet Strategy and action plan (Appendix 1).

3.    Noted and thanked the contributions of residents from the Loos for Haringey group in helping identify the need for the strategy and supporting its development.

Reasons for decision:

The strategy set out twenty actions to support the continued improvement and management of toilet facilities in the borough. All actions had been reviewed and agreed by the Toilet Strategy Delivery Group, which was a cross?council officer group supported by residents from Loos for Haringey. Best?practice guidance had been sought from other teams, including equalities and diversity, to ensure that the recommendations were evidence?based.

Recommendations were developed around the five strategic priorities in the strategy to address key cross?cutting issues:

• Location of public toilets and gaps in provision
• Planning and transport
• Safety and hygiene
• Inclusive access
• Communication and signage

By approving the Haringey Toilet Strategy, the Council aimed to:

• Improve the overall standard of existing and planned toilets in Haringey, particularly in Tottenham and the east of the borough where “loo deserts” existed.
• Address gaps in toilet provision to ensure future facilities were suitably located in areas of greatest need, such as parks, green spaces and shopping centres.
• Ensure integration of toilet provision into the Council’s wider planning and transport agenda, for example through the new Local Plan for Haringey and through links with key organisations such as Transport for London and the NHS.
• Provide more inclusive access for user groups with diverse needs, including older residents, people with long?term conditions and parents/families.
• Improve the provision of Changing Places facilities for people with multiple and complex disabilities.
• Help tackle wider public?health issues such as loneliness and social isolation, where some people felt unable to leave their homes due to a lack of adequate facilities.
• Improve safety and address anti?social behaviour, including graffiti and street urination, where these had been identified as concerns.
• Support the objectives set out in key plans and strategies such as Haringey 2035 – Our Vision, to create a thriving place and tackle inequalities in health and wellbeing.

Alternative options considered:

Do nothing: leaving toilet facilities as they were. This was not considered a feasible option because:

• A lack of accessible and clean facilities risked worsening public?health issues such as loneliness and social isolation, as some residents might have chosen not to leave their homes due to insufficient facilities.
• Clean and accessible toilet facilities were crucial for economically successful and inclusive high streets across Haringey.