Moray Council set to pull the plug on 14 toilets

The Local Authority bid to make £63,000 of savings with the changes

Facilities at the Cooper Park in Elgin are among 14 toilets set to close by Autumn

14 public toilets in Moray will close at the end of September unless communities are able to take over their upkeep.

As part of a range of budget savings for 2020/21, councillors narrowly agreed to close the toilets, saving £63,000 over the next two years.

Public toilets at the council’s harbours will remain open, as all six harbours support fishing, leisure and commercial activities that require toilet facilities and fresh water to meet health and hygiene regulations.

However the following toilets are set to close on 30 September 2020:

Newlands Lane, Buckie

Seaview Road, Cummingston

Albert Place, Dufftown

Cooper Park, Elgin

West Dunes (North), Findhorn

Grant Park, Forres

Old Station, Ballindalloch

Tomnabat Lane, Tomintoul

Spey Street, Garmouth

Regent Square, Keith

East Street, Fochabers

Esplanade, Lossiemouth

Victoria Road, Craigellachie

New Street, Rothes

Leader of Moray Council, Graham Leadbitter, urged communities to follow the example of the already successful community-operated public toilets elsewhere in Moray.

“Growing pressures in areas such as child protection and social care mean that the council is having to prioritise its spending in different ways. That has meant some challenging decisions for councillors, including the need to close toilets.

“There has been some great support from communities taking on toilet facilities, such as Lossiemouth, Craigellachie and Cullen"

It is hoped that in the time before October communities can explore opportunities such as a Community Asset Transfers to take on the running of the toilets. The interested can e-mail CAT@moray.gov.uk

However, Conservative Group Leader Tim Eagle said: “Under the SNP, Moray has lost all its school-crossing patrollers, we have seen many of our public areas neglected, and now we stand to lose our last remaining public toilets, with the exception of a handful which the council is required to keep open for harbour users who pay harbour fees

“While I accept that councils have to modernise and transform the way we deliver services we should also accept that there are some basic essential services that we simply have to provide"