Wokingham

Residents and visitors to the Wokingham Borough will soon be able to spend a penny in cleaner and better toilets when they are out and about.

Public conveniences in the borough will be changing over the next 12 months as the council’s five Wokingham public toilets are replaced by the Local Loo scheme.

This scheme, which has been launched successfully in several other areas, will see cafés, restaurants, leisure centres, libraries and other businesses allowing the public to use their toilets for free. The Wokingham council will pay each of these businesses a set fee so that residents and visitors do not have to reach for their wallets when they want to spend a penny.

The five sets of public toilets that the Wokingham council currently runs will be gradually phased out and will no longer be in use by March 2010.

Currently, the council owns and maintains toilets in Wokingham, Woodley, Twyford, and Wargrave. However, many of the toilets have been subject to repeated vandalism and are often under-used by the public.

Cllr Simon Weeks, executive member for Wokingham environment, said: “A community toilet scheme was trialled by the London Borough of Richmond some five years ago and has been well received by the public. The council is looking to provide a similar scheme in the Wokingham Borough called Local Loos so that residents and visitors have access to toilets, which are not subject to regular vandalism and are much cleaner and safer.

“This is still very much in the early stages as the council is still negotiating with businesses. However, I want to make it clear that the council is not proposing to leave residents and visitors without access to a toilet; it’s just looking to provide a toilet in a much more modern and appealing environment.”

Once businesses have signed up to the Local Loo scheme they will receive a sticker to put in their window and/ or door so that residents and visitors know where they can use a toilet.

A list of participating businesses and their addresses will also be posted on the council’s website at www.wokingham.gov.uk

Cllr Weeks added: “Once the Local Loo scheme is up and running it will provide a much nicer alternative to the public toilets currently available, which are often vandalised and therefore under-used.”

Wokingham Borough Council