Dr Rhys tells council chief what harm loss of public toilets would do to town

* Dr Rhys Davies has emailed the county's chief executive.

A respected retired GP from the town has emailed Denbighshire County Council’s chief executive telling him straight that the closure of Llangollen’s public toilets would be a “public relations disaster”.

Dr Rhys Davies was amongst the 100-plus local residents and businesses who attended this week’s public meeting at the Town Hall called by Rod Holt to air protests against the proposal by the county council to shed all its public toilets in a bid to balance its budget.

Dr Davies repeated his assertion – first highlighted by llanblogger last April - that while the council had no legal duty to provide public loos it certainly had a moral one, which drew huge applause from the audience who were angered that no council officers had attended the meeting despite numerous invitations.

He has now followed that up by writing directly to chief executive Graham Boase to hammer home the damage which would be caused to our busy tourist town if the toilets have to go. 

Dr Davies, a former chairman of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, writes: “I write to support the objections to the potential closure of the public toilets on Market St in Llangollen. I write as a previous GP in the town and district for 30 years and also as a long term resident.  

“A meeting of residents was held on August 6th in the Town Hall along with the Town Council. DCC had been invited, but no-one turned up. This was very disappointing for the attendees who had many questions to ask. The meeting was attended by in excess of 100, all of whom wanted the toilets to be retained. The Town Council and our local representatives on DCC , Councillors Edwards and Keddie, will be able to provide feedback.  

“Although DCC doesn’t have a legal or statutory obligation to provide public conveniences in Llangollen there certainly is a moral obligation. Public conveniences have been provided here for many years and they are essential for a tourist town the size of Llangollen. Although the population of the town is only 3,600, by its very nature of being a tourist/market town it serves a much bigger population even within a small radius and of course at weekends and in the summer. 

“I would have thought that the remuneration from the Smithfield car park would more than finance the current public conveniences. Also, the money received by DCC to reflect the number of visitors we have to Llangollen should be reinvested in the town and would also contribute and should not be kept by DCC.  

“There are other non-statutory expenses which could be reduced in place of public conveniences such as marketing (where less tourism could be expected if conveniences are closed).  

“DCC cannot ‘cherry pick’ what benefits them the most. Any transfer of estates should go hand in hand. The toilets and car park should remain as one.  

“If the town council were to take over the running of the conveniences they should receive all the remuneration mentioned.  

“The idea of paying pubs, restaurants, take-aways, shops etc to allow the public to use their services is a non-starter. We are not a city centre and there simply aren't enough places in Llangollen to accommodate people requiring conveniences especially those with disabilities and wheelchair users. Also, when buses full of tourists arrive, often earlier in the morning, very few places are open. There is nowhere that could cope with a busload of elderly visitors needing conveniences. As a result bus companies won't come to Llangollen and so there will be a significant loss of business and thus tourism. This would be detrimental to the town’s economy.

“Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has just had its largest festival for years attracting 50.0OO visitors and such a move by DCC would be a retrograde step.  

“Many people, residents and visitors included, have urinary problems which require frequent toilet visits due to urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence secondary to numerous urological causes. We mustn't forget those with colostomies, ileostomies and urostomies who all need access to suitable conveniences to manage their condition.  

“In a civilised society it is essential that all are treated with respect and provided with conveniences when needed. Closure of the public conveniences in Llangollen by DCC as a cost-saving exercise doesn't make sense, the loss of business to Llangollen would be far greater along with the loss of respect from residents and visitors, in short it would be a PR [public relations] disaster!”