Lybster loo closure driving locals round U-bend
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A LYBSTER shop owner believes that the village public toilets were closed after Highland Council used “overinflated figures” showing water charges rising by almost 2000 per cent over two years.
Donald Henderson, who runs D&S Henderson grocery store on the main street, got in touch with council staff when he heard that the toilets were under threat of closure in January.
“The woman I emailed at the council admitted there was a mistake,” he said. “The document they [the council] produced showed the water costs jumping from a few hundred pounds to over £8000 in just two years. It’s totally ridiculous and I wonder how that impacted their decision to not reopen the toilets as they were supposed to on April 1.”
Mr Henderson started an email correspondence with Highland Council amenities manager Debbie Sutton in early January after he heard about the threat of closure.
“She sent me a screenshot of a document showing the water cost of the year covering 2015 to 2016 being £457 and then just two years later, over 2017/18, the water rates had risen to £8306. That’s almost a 2000 per cent increase. I knew there was something not right about it.”
Over the process of the correspondence Ms Sutton admitted that she had mistakenly “included incorrect information regarding the water rates” and said the Lybster public convenience (PC) would not reopen for the 2019 season.
The toilets were closed as usual in October 2018 and a few weeks later the council deliberated upon which ones would not reopen throughout the Highlands.
Mr Henderson said: “It should have opened on April 1. It sounds better for them to say ‘it’s not reopening’ rather than say ‘it’s closing’.”
The shopkeeper also pointed out that the “excessive water and electric costs” would have made closing the facility “a more attractive option for savings”.
On speaking to numerous Lybster residents last Sunday, there was universal condemnation of the council’s decision. Several people noted how the toilets were also useful for spectators at football matches and were a great asset in light of the amount of traffic generated by the North Coast 500.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Henderson said: “I had to laugh today when some council workers came into my shop and asked if they could wash their hands and use the toilet. They didn’t realise the public toilets had been closed here.”
Mr Henderson had also corresponded with Ms Sutton about whether the council would be willing to lease Lybster PC to him so it could be run by a village community group. The amenities manager told him that a Comfort Scheme was being considered as an alternative to keeping Lybster PC open.
Highland Council said it is “working with local services such as pubs, hotels and community services to allow the public to use toilets whether or not they are customers”.
“The scheme provides clean, safe and accessible public toilets in convenient places for residents and visitors. Many offer wheelchair access and baby changing facilities,” a council spokesperson said.
An “interested party” in Lybster is considering joining the Comfort Scheme, Debbie Sutton said. In an email to Mr Henderson she said it “would be the favoured option with regard to PC provision in Lybster”.
Mr Henderson said that he wondered how many other public toilets, such as at Helmsdale, have been closed or threatened with closure due to “mistakes” in the running costs.
No response has been received from Highland Council with regard to the issues raised in this article.
