Closing toilets: more than a public inconvenience

Abstract

The number of public toilets funded by local authorities in the UK has decreased substantially over the past few years, according to data obtained by researcher Jack Shaw through Freedom of Information requests. Between 2015–16 and 2020–21, local authorities returning information reported a 19% drop in the number of public toilets, a decrease caused by cuts to council budgets and a lack of legal requirements for the provision of toilets. For many people, loss of public conveniences is far more than a simple inconvenience. In a survey by Crohn's and Colitis UK, 70% of participants with IBD reported worrying about toilet facilities while travelling. In the UK, the prevalence of IBS, a condition associated with altered stool frequency for many, is estimated at 4–7%, depending on the diagnostic criteria used. The Royal Society for Public Health reported in 2018 that around 20% of the general population sample, rising to 43% of those with an illness or condition associated with needing the toilet more frequently, did not leave the house as often as they would like to because of concerns around toilet access. Loss of public conveniences is not new. In 2018, the British Toilet Association reported that the number of toilets had fallen by 39% since 2000. Drastic decreases to central government core funding of councils introduced in the early 2010s have led to a 16% reduction in overall spending power in real terms, despite a 25% rise in council tax. The intense financial pressure created by swingeing cuts to local authority budgets has made the slashing of non-mandated services, such as public toilets, inevitable; it is also inevitable that such cuts should have the largest impact on those at greatest need. We call for central government to support local authorities in restoring public toilets and delivering equitable access to safe, hygienic facilities. Global prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome according to Rome III or IV criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysisEven when uniform symptom-based criteria are applied, based on identical methodology, to define the presence of IBS, prevalence varies substantially between countries. Prevalence was substantially lower with the Rome IV criteria, suggesting that these more restrictive criteria might be less suitable than Rome III for population-based epidemiological surveys. Full-Text PDF The costs of inadequate toilet coverage in the PhilippinesWhile advocates lobby for the reinstitution of government funding and support for safe public toilets in the UK,1 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) still struggle to provide households with decent sanitation facilities. This neglected intervention widens inequities, and consequently contributes to increasing vulnerabilities and worsening health outcomes. Full-Text PDF