Raunds public toilets wiped away as town council data suggests a decrease in usage of the facilities

Work started on January 3 to ‘decommission’ the public toilets in Marshalls Road, Raunds, as data suggests there has been a decrease in usage.

The lease expired in December 2023, and the council has decided not to renew it, as the facility is costing over £16,000 per year to continue.

A spokesman for Raunds Town Council said: “Data on usage has indicated consistently low demand for the facility, with an average of just 21 uses per week during the first half of 2023.

“Annual leasing costs have increased substantially, along with rising utility prices and business rates.

"In total, the cost of continuing to provide the facility would be in excess of £16,000 per year. Based on the above usage figures, this amounts to an equivalent of around £14 per single use.”

The council insists that service downtime and engineer callouts during the previous leasing period reached ‘unacceptably high levels’, due in large part to equipment failure, vandalism, and misuse.

It could not be determined that renewal of the lease would be accompanied by significantly reduced levels of downtime.

However, a ‘community toilet scheme’ is being promoted by the council to local businesses, whereby establishments such as pubs, restaurants and shops can ‘work together with the town council to provide cleaner, safer and more accessible toilets in more convenient locations for residents and visitors to the town centre.’

To be part of the proposed scheme, email [email protected] to register an interest.