Looe Town Council has announced plans to introduce charges for public toilet facilities, beginning with The Guildhall. The council took over management of the town's public toilets from Cornwall Council in 2017 to prevent their closure and has since carried out limited maintenance. This year, a more comprehensive programme of refurbishment and maintenance is planned, including a complete refit at The Guildhall and roof repairs at the Seafront facilities. Significant maintenance work is also anticipated for Millpool and Hannafore in the future.
The decision to introduce charging stems from the substantial cost of running and maintaining the toilets, estimated at around £220,000 this year, largely funded by local residents' council tax. While some income is generated from existing charging facilities, councillors agreed to phase in charges across all toilet blocks, starting with The Guildhall. This measure is intended to ensure that running costs are shared more fairly between residents and visitors.
The new charges will apply to accessible toilets as well, following past issues with inappropriate use of radar keys. The cost to use any Looe Town Council toilet will be 40p.
To support local residents, a Residents’ Toilet Card is available for those with a PL13 postcode. This card costs £5 and provides free entry to charging toilet blocks, up to 30 visits per month. This effectively reduces the cost per visit to just over 1p. The Residents’ Toilet Card can be purchased from Looe Library & Community Hub.
For any further queries, individuals are advised to contact enquiries@looetowncouncil.gov.uk.
