TransLogistics

Transport and Logistics Network

Shoppers in Lincoln call for more public toilets in the city

Lincoln[1] shoppers are calling for more public toilets in the city despite the City of Lincoln Council[2] saying the reduced number is working well. In 2021, the city council voted in favour of closing several public loos in a bid to save around £82,000 a year.

This has meant that the Victorian urinals at The Lawn on Union Road have been shut down as well as Newport Arch. The toilets at Lucy Tower, Westgate and South Common are only open to the public during special events.

Lincoln Central Bus Station, Tentercroft Street, and City Square are the only remaining public toilets in the city. Shoppers[3] are calling for more toilets in the city and have highlighted some of the issues with not having many.

Tracey Woodward, 52, said: “As you get older, you tend to realise how valuable public toilets are, which is a strange thing to say. There needs to be more accessible ones as you don’t feel like you can always go inside a shop.”

Tracey Woodward, 52
Tracey Woodward, 52

Rob Veer, 49, said: “We need more of them. The only one I know of is the one at the bus station.” Another shopper, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “There used to be a lot, but unfortunately [the council] closed them.

“I can appreciate the fact that you need people to look after them, but we could definitely do with some more – even if you have to pay for them.”

Another shopper, who also wished to remain anonymous, said: “We had our granddaughters with us a few weeks ago and they were absolutely desperate, we virtually had to run through a coffee shop because they couldn’t hold on.”

They also suggested reintroducing coin-operated public toilets and said that most facilities only accept card payments.

They later suggested the reintroduction of coin-operated public toilets, noting that most facilities now only accept card payments. Mick Houltby, along with some other shoppers, admitted to using toilets in stores or cafes. He said: “You normally just go into a store like Marks & Spencer’s, don’t you?”

David Christopher, 73, said he opts for cafes along the Brayford. Public toilets across the UK that are local authority-owned have dropped from 3,154 in 2015 to 2,556 in 2021.

A spokesperson from City of Lincoln Council said: “The city council agreed in June 2021 that Westgate toilets would only be open during large public events such as Steampunk, as the toilets on Castle Square were more than able to accommodate day-to-day users.

“This system has now been in place for more than two years and is running very well.” There are also free facilities available outside of the city centre at Hartsholme Country Park, Boultham Park, and several city cemeteries.

References

  1. ^ Lincoln (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
  2. ^ City of Lincoln Council (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
  3. ^ Shoppers (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)
  4. ^ Residents calling for ‘lazy’ people to stop littering in Lincoln’s fly-tipping hotspot (www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk)

Tags: