* Could the Market Street public toilets be saved by a new rescue plan?
llanblogger exclusive
County councillors are to consider a rescue plan to keep all of Llangollen’s public toilets open based on people being charged £1 to use them and changes in their management structure.
There was a wave of outrage last year after Denbighshire revealed it might be necessary to shut all the county’s toilets due to a large hole in its budget.
Petitions were started, public meetings were held and locals against the closure of those in Llangollen appeared on TV news bulletins to oppose the suggestion.
Later there appeared to be a rescue plan based on Denbighshire teaming up with Llangollen Town Council to seek outside grants to help keep the toilets, which wasn't proceeded with because the county council weren't successful with their bid for Brilliant Basics funding.
County officers were then tasked with finding other ways of saving all the county’s loos by talking to city, town and community councils.
And what appears to be the preferred plan which emerged from the discussions will be considered by the powerful Communities Scrutiny Committee at its meeting this Thursday (October 16).
A report from Corporate Project Manager Kimberley Mason outlines the details, which would mean for Llangollen:
* Market Street toilets remaining open and in the ownership of Denbighshire County Council (DCC)
* DCC to replace the Riverside Park toilets with a new unit which would also remain in the ownership of the county
* Cashless entry systems to be installed at both sites, with a usage charge of £1
* The staffing structure to be amended, with no toilets being staffed during the day from April 1, 2026.
The report says: “Llangollen Town Council notes the decision to levy a £1 usage charge. As a result of this charge the County Council confirms that it will no longer seek or require any contribution from the Town Council towards the operating costs of the toilets in Llangollen.”
Proposals for public toilets in other areas of the county vary in detail.
Some, like those in Rhyl and Prestatyn, would remain open with an entry charge and a contribution towards running costs from the town council.
Others, such as Ruthin, Rhuddlan, St Asaph and Dyserth, would be taken over by their local councils through special agreements with the county and have cashless entry systems installed.
The report points out that public toilets in the other areas of Denbighshire all have estimated gaps in their budgets - worked out according to the actual costs of running each PC, minus the estimated income – while Llangollen does not.
Explaining this, it says: “Based on the proposal to charge for usage and some changes to the management regime, there is no anticipated budget gap for Llangollen.”
It adds that the cost of upgrading all the toilets to accept contactless payment has been costed at approximately £311,000.
The views of scrutiny committee members will be sought before the final recommendations are taken to the council’s Cabinet.
The report points out: “Public toilets are valued by, and important to, our communities, and we have therefore undertaken further work with City, Town and Community Councils to hopefully keep as many PCs open as possible beyond 31st March 2026.
“Public toilets are a non-statutory service, and local authorities therefore have no legal obligation to provide them.
“Most of the budget for PCs was removed as part of the 2024/25 budget setting process. Since then, Denbighshire County Council has been operating public toilets without the budget to do so, and that position cannot continue in 2026/27.”
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