A councillor says they won’t give up on toilets despite several being closed due to vandalism.
The Changing Places toilet at Ayscoughfee Gardens aimed at people with mobility issues opened in February has been closed for a second time after being damaged this week.
Some of the South Holland District Council-owned toilets in Holbeach, which have a state-of-the-art digital lock, have also been closed for a month after the locks were smashed and a homeless person moved in.
It’s on top of the Sheep Market toilets in Spalding town centre having not been open for some time due to issues with asbestos and it could be another year before work is completed.
Coun Henry Bingham, SHDC’s portfolio holder for assets, said it was the ‘second or third time’ the Ayscoughfee Gardens toilets had been vandalised since they opened following a refurbishment funded by a £150,000 government grant for the Changing Places toilets for there, the Sheep Market and Holbeach.
“It’s frustrating as the public want the council to spend money on these facilities, then we do and they get vandalised.
“We are not giving up.
“It’s a small element of society wanting to ruin it for the majority.
“We will keep trying to find different ways of addressing the situation.”
On the Sheep Market, he said: “We’re certainly looking at what we can do with them in both the short term and the long term. If it’s not on the cards for this year then maybe next year.
“I want to see them up and running as soon as possible.”
Holbeach’s Changing Places toilet will be in Carter’s Park rather than at the district council toilets at the Market Hill junction.
It has a digital lock that was last November hailed a success in keeping vandals out, but someone had managed to break in and a homeless man was living inside.
Coun Tracey Carter told Holbeach Parish Council the person had refused help for a while but was now working with authorities. “I’m very keen to keep the toilets on those digital locks as I don’t want them to start being closed earlier again due to resources.
“New doors are being sourced and new locks again because they’ve been bashed in. They’ve had a major deep clean so they’re all ready for when the doors and locks arrive this week.”
On Monday the parish council voted to put its Changing Places toilet on the present toilet in Carter’s Park and not at the bowls club site.
Some councillors argued the latter would be the better option and Coun Sophie Hutchinson said she’d previously costed the options and the bowls club was cheaper.
She also said the council didn’t have the funds to afford a path to the new toilet.
“The pavilion is almost a central point,” Coun Peter Savory said. “When a child says it wants the toilet it’s not in ten minutes’ time when you’re across the field, it’s now.
“It would be easier for disabled parking or they could walk at Tesco’s. The practicalities are better.”
Coun Hutchinson added “You’re most likely going to want to refurbish the toilets at some point. If you put the pod there you’re going to be spending more public money in the future refurbishing that block than the other.”
Coun Tim Wiltshire questioned where the information came from.
“You’re saying we could do it at a lower cost, even if we could, what we’re doing is losing a building.”
