Rate relief plan for making loos public

A lobby group is calling for rate relief for pubs that open their toilets to the public.

The British Toilet Associa-tion (BTA) has argued for the move in meetings with Gov-ernment and other interested parties because it wants to improve access to toilets.

BTA director Richard Chisnell is a member of a

steering committee, formed by the Department of Com-munities & Local Government, that is looking at the problem of the huge decline in public loos - their number has halved in 10 years. Other committee members include representatives of local authorities and the police.

The committee had its first meeting last week where Chisnell put his case for rate relief. "There needs to be an incentive," he said.

"If we could encourage local authorities to give rate relief, that's something worth thinking about."

Chisnell also suggested that local authorities should look more favourably on planning applications for businesses that will let the public use their toilets.

He called for pub trade

representatives to join the steering committee to argue their case. "Their voices need to be heard before too many decisions are made," he said.

The prospect of pubs being forced to open their toilets for public use has been criticised by licensees in the past.

But Michael Brightman, licensee of the Patriots Arms in Chiseldon, Wiltshire, said: "Anything that enables us to showcase what we have to offer people is a benefit. The hardest thing is to get people to visit the premises in the first place. Once they do, you can get them to come again."

The committee will meet again in July and a strategy paper is due in the autumn.

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