There has been a lot of chatter in the news about Westminster Council's Public Toilets in recent weeks. As someone who spends a lot of time in the area as a tour guide (especially given that about 3/4 of the Loo Tour takes place in the borough of Westminster)
For anyone who wants to get caught up:
This article by Adriean Zorzut about Westminster Council's spending £800 on entry into the Loo of the Year Awards for their Public Toilets: https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/london-council-slammed-wasting-800-30447960
This article about the multi-million pound refurbishment of 8 of Westminster Council's Public Toilet Blocks: Eight Public Toilet Blocks In Central London To Be Refurbished | Londonist
The recent launch of the London Loo Alliance calling for better provision across the capitol: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-loo-alliance-age-uk-campaign-public-toilets-launch-soho-b1195009.html
What is Westminster's Challenge?
A lot of public toilets in Westminster have closed either perminantly or temporarily in recent decades. I'm going to make a possibly somewhat controversial statement that I don't this this is the main issue when it comes to toilet provision in the borough.
Westminster is a particularly interesting case as there is a vast range of needs to consider in public toilet provision, but these can be divided broadly into four groups:
1) Locals
People who live and work in the city. Though I don't reside in Westminster I would class myself in this group, for the simple fact that I spend most of my working time in Westminster. Locals are less likely to rely on public facilities because we are often going from and to somehwere with a toilet... be it an office, a cafe or restauraunt, a museum, a train station or a home. Most probably even have their habitiual toilets they visit on a regular basis are part of their routine (I know I do!) so are less likely to be caught short, or when they are will usually know where to go.
The two times this group will rely more on public toilets are when spending time in parks (the largest Parks in Westminster are actually the Royal Parks, who have their own public toilet provision not managed by the local council) and those who are runners or cyclists.
2) Tourists
People in the area temporarily for pleasure or business. Though they will have access to most of the same facilities as locals they do not have the same routines and knowledge, so are somewhat more likely to make use of paid public facilities, especially when transitioning between activities (as a tour guide "where is the nearest restroom" is one of the most common questions to be asked at the start or finish of a tour.)
3) Nightlife
Though there is almost certainly some overlap with tourists and locals I have classed this separately because availability (and also bladder control?) can be quite different for this group. Your traditional public toilet operates during standard business hours, as do cafes and many shops, so these are no longer an option in the evening. Though not everyone out in the wee hours of the morning is going to be intoxicated, a not insignificant portion are, and the inhibitions this brings, combined with the anonimity of darkness and the probably more urgent need when it arises mean that all the fanciest public toilets in the world would probably not totally combat the problem of night time urination and defication on the streets.
4) The homeless population
This is the most important, but also the most overlooked group when planning public toilet provision. Westminster has the highest number of Rough Sleepers in London (2050 in 2023 as reported by Statistica https://www.statista.com/statistics/381365/london-homelessness-rough-sleepers-by-london-borough/ )
This is where privilidge comes heavily into play: they are more likely to be barred from the makeshift solutions of shops and cafes, but also less likely to be able to afford the luxury of 50p just to use a toilet. During the daytime Charing Cross Train Station (which provides free facilities) gets good use, and there are a few urinals, which though not glamerous provide at least a modicum of privavy and containment (at least for those able to go standing up) but there will be times where there is simply no access.
The plight these people face is not actually going to be solved by better toilet provision, but in the absence of more comprehensive solutions to shelter and housing their needs must be considered in any conversation about public toilet provision if the streets are to be kept clean.
What are the solutions?
Though as someone who loves a beautiful and interesting toilet experience I am not convinced that the current approach of Westminster council funneling money into refurbishment (or even of the Loo Alience calling for more comprehensive on street provision of traditional purpose-built public toilets... much as I am very glad they exist and hugely admire all their members) will lead to an effective and sustainable solution to the challenges faced in the search for a loo.
Though not a comprehensive list by any means, here are a few things I think should to be considered to lead to truely effective change:
Better sign-posting of existing resources
This I think would be one of the single biggest and easiest fixes. There are some great resources out there, like the Great British Public Toilet Map to direct people towards availible facilities. More investment could be made in keeping these up to date and advertising their existance. Westminster council could also be more pro-active in updating its physical signage, and a lot of it is woefully out of date.
Public campaigns for behavioural change
Though I can't really see this happening because any local authority that rolled it out would probably (not unjustly) fear being mocked for it... what about advertising around planning to go! Signs on the door of the bar reminding people that "last call" should be a reminder for that last trip to the loo (what in my household we call "a precautionary wee"). A "Go when you can, not when you have to" campaign.
More onus on businesses to actually fulfil their legal obligation to provide customer toielts:
I'm going to use Pret as my scapegoat here for a moment, because it is a routine problem that their toilets will be "out of order" for months on end. They are not the only chain to have this problem, but the one where I encounter it the most. Like most things even this isn't a simple fix... the lack of toilets can range from genuine plumbing problems, to the issue that the very staff who make your coffee are also expected to clean the loos, and simply don't have time (and are more likely to be penalized for a dirty loo than an out of order one.) In theory anywhere that offers you the chance to sit and eat should also provide facilities, which is not just about urinating, but also giving you the opportunity to wash hands before eating (which you really should do, though many of us, myself included do regularly forget). If cafes (especially the big corporate chains) risked losing their hygiene rating for not providing loos I suspect they could solve the plumbing problems more quickly than they currently are. While I don't think reliance on the private sector is the ultimate solution to toilet availability I do believe that requiring them to do the bare minimum of civic duty as part of the cost of doing business would be a start at least.
Public buildings providing toilets as standard
One thing that shocks me as a non-native Brit is that most libraries seem to not have toilets availible. What if, rather than building more expensive stand-alone toilets (or in addition to this, if funds are there!) local governments put money into ensuring any publicly funded building (Libraries, Police Stations, Council offices) had facilities that were availible to the general public?
I should note that all the above solutions are largely for the first three user groups I mentioned. The last is the most complex, and probably needs its own post.
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