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This months Big Story is:


Eyemouth and Coldstream to get town attendants

Towns top of the list to have public toilets refurbished


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"Unattended toilets can give a very bad impression to visitors"
John Byford, SBC

By Janice Gillie

COLDSTREAM and Eyemouth are top of the list to have their public toilets refurbished and also to get a town attendant each, responsible for cleaning the toilets and other general duties around the town.
Across the Borders there are currently seven public toilets that are manned and charging 30p but income over the past year has fallen to £67,371, equating to 11,000 less visits and the cost of providing attendants is £180,000. Last week Scottish
Borders Councillors agreed to abolish charges at the toilets in Hawick, Jedburgh, Peebles, Melrose, Galashiels, Kelso and Selkirk with immediate effect and instead they would focus on improving the unattended public toilets across the region, described as often neglected, dirty and the target of vandals.
And, the meeting heard attendants were hardly run off their feet, especially in the winter. On one day in February this year, the toilets in Peebles were used by just six customers.
"This part of the service is making a substantial loss," said John Byford, SBC's head of environmental services.
"In places like Jedburgh and Peebles, bus loads of visitors are stopping at the free, unattended toilets and some of these facilities give a very bad impression of the Borders," reported Mr Byford.
It was accepted that the unattended and less frequently cleaned toilets were those most likely to be used by visitors to the area and "will almost certainly be creating a poor impression of the Borders for visitors who use them".
The report to councillors goes on: "The removal of charges could provide a very good public relations opportunity to demonstrate support for tourism in the area, and significantly improve impressions that our towns leave on visitors and locals alike. This is particularly true of "gateway" towns like Hawick, Jedburgh and Coldstream."
The attendants will be redeployed on a "broader range of environmental duties", including monitoring, cleaning and locking up the unmanned facilities, plus carrying out litter and dog fouling patrols.
In Coldstream a new town attendant would clean the toilet and immediate surrounds, the car park, Henderson Park and the main street on a frequent cycle throughout the day.
Eyemouth would retain both its existing public toilet blocks and the new town attendant would also carry out street cleaning, warden duties within the town centre, including toilet checking and cleaning throughout the day.
"I can give a guarantee that the attendants will visit all our toilets in our principal towns at least once an hour seven days a week to clean them up and combat vandalism," said Councillor Len Wyse.
"These staff will be visible, more productive and will become better known by local people, so developing their 'ownership' of these facilities," said Mr Byford. "They will become directly associated with the quality of the services provided, helping to build accountability and civic pride."
He said he would also consider a suggestion from Councillor Nicholas Watson (Borders Party) that a secure means should be arranged for satisfied members of the public to leave voluntary cash donations at all public toilets, thus bringing in some income to the council.
Mr Byford will prepare a report for September on a major refurbishment programme with the facilities at Coldstream and Eyemouth already identified as priorities and work undertaken as soon as possible. Other facilities must be upgraded to comply with disability discrimination legislation, while warm water and hand drying facilities should be incorporated where practicable. His report will include a survey of usage to be carried out this summer.
Had councillors rejected the revised programme of toilet provision in the region the toilets at both Coldstream and High Street car park, Eyemouth would have been demolished "to incorporate pay stations and achieve Disability Discrimination Act compliance".
"The appearance of our public toilets both outside and inside affects the public perception...some of the existing decoration schemes are to say the least bizarre, resembling more a set from a science fiction film, with their silver walls, than a public toilet," said Mr Byford."


Huttonian has been campaigning for some time to have 'pay as you pee' abolished in the Borders so this is good news for the cross legged and impecunious. 30p per is daylight robbery-obviously the good people of Peebles (no pun intended) have shared this view-hence one unofficial Town motto-' Welcome to Peebles: Where Peeble Hold Their Water'!

The Blog welcomes the advent of the new Super-Loo Gauleiter. Visiting the facilities 24/7, (not to mention dog patrols, making themselves better known to townsfolk, tackling vandals and 'other environmental duties')is a challenging job description and I hope the little china soap dishes will soon be overflowing with gratuities from grateful customers. And how about sprucing up the toilets in a more imaginative way-hot air blowers and warm water are all very well but lets think bigger: access to the internet from the comfort of your seat,eye level digital TV screens at the urinals (in the Gents as well) Starbucks Coffee machines, A selection of groceries giving new meaning to the concept of convenience shopping, (merely concentrating on Durex Dispensers are so last century) and individual names for each lavatory complex taking a leaf from the Pub tradition recalling historical events, folk culture, literature etc : 'A Slash of Distinction'' 'The Meeting of the Waters' ' The Relief of Mafeking' 'Stand and Deliver' 'The Number Twos Detective Agency' 'Down in the Dumps' 'Ps and Qs' '(or the other way round in the more popular watering holes)*

Hutton Think Tank would welcome suggestions for its local version of The Good Loo Guide.

IMAGE : Galashiels-dream on

* That's enough Loo signs' Blog-ed

Labels: Borders, Public loos, Toilet Training

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