Councils should reverse public toilet cuts to tackle loneliness and isolation

Scotland’s national charity for older people is calling on councils to safeguard public toilet provision, saying closures have a serious impact on quality of life.

Age Scotland has written to all 32 Scottish councils ahead of World Toilet Day today urging them to make toilet provision a budget priority.

Around 185 council-run public toilets have closed across Scotland since 2013, with three councils now providing none at all (Clackmannanshire, South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire).

The charity said that clean, accessible public toilets are absolutely essential for many older people and those with disabilities to get out and about and enjoy a decent quality of life.

Its research has found that almost half (44 per cent) of older people in Scotland said that they would use public transport more if they could rely on provision of toilets.

World Toilet Day focuses on the long-term United Nations campaign for decent sanitation around the globe.

Brian Sloan, the charity’s Chief Executive, said: “While many are quite rightly standing up for sanitation in the developing world, we are urging Scottish councils to look closer to home and ensure the retention of public toilets.

“We know from speaking to older people that clean, accessible public toilets are absolutely essential for many to be able to enjoy a decent quality of life. They help older people with certain medical conditions and incontinence to live as normal a life as possible, being able to travel and interact with services and the local economy.

“For many, if there is no provision for public toilets, they simply will not leave their home. This means less socialising, less shopping, difficulty attending medical appointments, and a surge in loneliness and social isolation.

“We recognise that budgets are tight, but we believe that councils should consider the wider impact of public toilet closures on physical and mental health. Many councils are already using creative solutions, such as partnerships with local businesses, to increase provision.”

The charity is calling on councils to commit to:
1. No further closure of public toilets
2. Securing funding for the maintenance of existing toilets
3. Investigating how the number of toilets available to the public could be increased

The Scottish Government’s older people’s framework, A Fairer Scotland for Older People, recognises the importance of public toilets in its vision for a Scotland where “people are healthy, happy and secure in older age”.

 ENDS