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The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Team
Closed petition PE1955: Make the provision of public toilets a statutory duty
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to ensure local authorities provide good quality, clean and accessible public toilets by:
- placing a statutory duty on local authorities to provide adequate public toilets; and
- ensuring sufficient funding is available to local authorities to meet this requirement.
Previous action taken
I have raised this with MSPs, the Scottish Government, candidates at local and Holyrood level, Scottish Water and others.
I have been unable to get any proper response from any of them.
Background information
Public toilets are a basic requirement of public health and hygiene. They are also essential to protect the environment.
They are not just for visitors. They are needed by local people, emergency services, delivery drivers, care workers and others. This is especially true in rural areas.
I live in Poolewe in Wester Ross. I am now retired but formerly had to travel all over the Highlands for my work. I live opposite the local public toilets.
In 2020 the toilets were closed just before the highlands were opened up to the mass invasion of tourists, and I helped to clear up human waste from the public amenity space adjoining the toilets.
I am shocked by the apparent belief among politicians that toilets are just for tourists, and that self-contained, drive through tourists in campervans do not need them. We all need toilets, as does the environment. They are not an optional extra that can be cut to save money.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
1,789 signatures