By Bill Heaney
Would you use a public toilet in Dumbarton? Where folk used to spend a penny, they now have to negotiate a machine invest in a trip to the loo at Dumbarton Quay.
The public toilets at Riverside Lane – down the Quay – are a joke, mentioned only in company by people who have had bad experiences down there.
Not having the right change to open the door and the nightmare scenario of having the door fly open, leaving you exposed to the wind and the weather – and to passersby, of course – are just two of them.
But at least we have public toilets here, just as there are are in Helensburgh and Balloch and up Loch Lomondside at Luss and Tarbet.
Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP., left, today revealed the collapse in the number of public toilets since the SNP came to power, with at least one local authority having no toilet facilities at all and others having no standalone toilets.
In response to a freedom of information request from Scottish Liberal Democrats, 18 councils were able to provide details of the number of public toilets in both 2007 and 2023.
Analysis of this data reveals that:
- Across the councils which provided the data for both 2007 and 2023, there has been a 21% decrease in the number of public toilets.
- South Lanarkshire has no public toilets at all, while East Dunbartonshire and Clackmannanshire have 6 and 18 toilets, respectively, situated within council properties but no standalone public toilets.
- Since 2007, Falkirk’s numbers have dropped by 94% from 17 public toilets to 1, while East Renfrewshire’s have dropped by 60%, South Ayrshire’s by 48%, East Renfrewshire by 40%, Edinburgh by 37%, Stirling by 32% and Perth & Kinross by 27%.
Mr Rennie said: “After more than a decade and a half of SNP underfunding, communities across Scotland are taking the hit.
“Toilets are not just about public convenience. For some, the lack of accessible bathrooms can prevent them enjoying public spaces, while in other areas it has become an invitation for public urination. For people living with a stoma, access to public toilets is absolutely essential to their quality of life. This sad state of affairs is the inevitable consequence of reckless decisions by successive SNP governments.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a substantial programme of capital works to provide more public toilets alongside better car parking, electric charging points and waste disposal points.
“The Scottish Government must stop expecting local authorities to live off the scraps of the budget and hope for the best. They must finally deliver a fair deal for councils so that they, in turn, can invest in their communities.”
I remember when the then new public toilets opened by the quay, the Lennox Herald worthy who wrote the amusing column ‘ The Book of Bildad’ described them as ‘ the temple of marble and of gold nigh unto the river.’ O tempora, o mores.
Fyfe Robertson and the Tonight team from BBC – Cliff Michelmore and all – came to the Vennel to see the toilets next to the College Bar (McElhaw’s pub) which were being demolished to make way for the new Golden Bogs down the Quay. They cost a remarkable £28,000 if I recall. Charlie Harkins of fond memory was the custodian. Then we had the Ayatollah’s air raid shelter on The Common. John Gibson was the man in charge there. Handy for the Central Station. Forgive me if I do not know who was in charge of the Ladies’. Perhaps Lucy Ashton will remember?