Written question WQ93079

In 2024-25, local authorities in Wales will receive £5.7 billion in general revenue allocations from core funding and non-domestic rates. This is an overall increase of 3.3% for 2024-2025. No authority will receive less than a 2.3% increase. Every Authority will need to balance service delivery needs against the range of funding available. Local authorities have the power to provide public toilets but not a statutory duty to do so.

The Welsh Government recognises the difficulties local authorities have in maintaining standalone public toilets, but also acknowledges that access to safe, clean toilet facilities is important to the public. For this reason, the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 requires each local authority in Wales to produce and regularly review a local toilet strategy.

Comprehensive statutory guidance has been provided by Welsh Government to help local authorities develop their strategies and advises extensive community engagement, including with key deliver partners such as town and community councils, to understand local needs, identify gaps and deliver potential solutions.

Suggested solutions include community asset transfers and empowering town and community councils and social enterprises to take on responsibilities for managing standalone public toilets if proposals are sustainable. To assist with sustainability the Welsh Government has worked with the UK Government to ensure that standalone public toilets in Wales now receive 100% relief from business rates.

One of the key aspects of the requirement to develop a local toilet strategy was to encourage local authorities to make better use of existing toilet facilities across both public and private sector buildings, beyond a focus on standalone public toilets given the financial challenges of providing and maintaining this type of facility. In the context of the ongoing challenging financial climate, it is more important than ever to encourage creative solutions to better meet the public’s need for access to suitable toilet facilities and to have strategies that are built around the principles of co-production.

I would expect local authorities to continue to take every opportunity to talk to the public and representative groups about the challenges they face in accessing local toilet facilities and equally to key delivery partners, such as town and community councils, to listen to concerns and seek views and involvement in identifying, and delivering potential sustainable solutions.