WESTBURY’S play areas, skate parks and outdoor gyms have been given the go-ahead to reopen, but the town’s public toilets will remain closed.
The decision was taken at Monday night’s town council meeting, held online on 6th July. Councillors considered the health implications and the risk to the public of re-opening the facilities.
In the case of the play areas, they considered that with the appropriate precautions put in place, it was safe to re-open, following advice from Wiltshire Council. Councillors noted that other local towns were re-opening their play areas.
When considering the public toilets, the clerk, Deborah Urch, explained that for sanitation reasons, the toilets would need to be cleaned three or four times every day as 10 to 12 people use each toilet cubicle on a daily basis. Before lockdown, she said that the toilets were cleaned once a day. The increased levels of cleaning by the contracted company could increase the cleaning bill in the region of £497 a week for an extra three cleans.
Councillors considered not opening all the public toilets and perhaps just opening the High Street block. However, they were concerned about ensuring public safety even if measures were put in place such as floor markers, hand sanitisers and posters with advice on safety.
Councillor Ian Cunningham said, “This makes me more nervous. I would like any notice to say we cannot guarantee the health of the previous user.”
However, the clerk explained that councillors could not mitigate their responsibility because of any signage that was in place. She said they would also need to carry out a thorough risk assessment.
Councillor Brenda Pyne suggested asking the toilet users to be responsible by asking them to use bacterial spray and clean the handles of doors when entering and leaving the toilet block and inside. Councillor Nick Pyne agreed, speaking of the need for notices and paper towels.”I think it is important that we actually get them back open,” he said. Councillor Jane Russ said, “I agree. It is a health hazard to not open them.The government is saying we should open them and we should open following government guidelines.”
Councillors Kettlety and Ward Jones said that the public toilets should remain closed. Councillor Kettlety said that he did not see it as a danger to health if they remained closed, although it may restrict some people coming into town. Councillor Ward Jones said the town had managed already without public toilets for four months. He said he had visited National Trust properties, but their toilet doors could be left open. “The loos we have are breeding grounds for germs,” he said.
A vote was taken to re-open the toilets with one clean a day only with hand sanitiser and signage on the floor which was defeated.
Councillors Cunningham, King and Russ abstained; cllrs Kettlety, Sutton, Charles, Amos, Jones, B Pyne, Kimmins, Parker and Snooks voted against re-opening and cllr N Pyne voted for.
