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Published:
February 26, 2006
Burnham-On-Sea's
public toilets are at threat from council cash cuts
Visitors
and residents in Burnham-On-Sea could soon be caught short if
plans to close several public toilets in the town get the go-ahead.
 Sedgemoor
District Council's Policy Review and Service Improvement Committee
says loos at Burnham's Yacht Club, BARB building, and Seaview
Road could be shut to save cash. Other facilities at Berrow and
Brent Knoll are also under threat.
If the plans are approved by the authority's executive later this
week, the authority will ask Burnham town council and nearby parish
councils if they want to take over the running of the toilets.
If they don't, the facilities could close.
The
closure of 14 toilet facilities across Sedgemoor could save £56,000
a year.
Speaking
to Burnham-On-Sea.com, town councillor Louise Parkin (pictured)
said: "We don't have enough public toilets in Burnham as
it is, so why close them?"
 "Sedgemoor
seems to want us to take over the running of them, but we set
our budget a month ago so where do they expect us to get the money
from?"
"We
also don't have the resources such as the cleaning teams and equipment
to do it."
"It's
been said that the Seaview Road toilets may be closed so that
more money could be ploughed into the ones at the Tourist Information
Centre."
"Given
that the Seaview Road ones are far away from the tourist area,
so I wouldn't object to that but I think losing the toilets at
the BARB station and Yacht Club would not be good."
A
Sedgemoor spokesman said: "The council doesn't have to provide
public conveniences and lots of toilets in the area are in a bad
state."
"A
working party visited the toilets and looked at the physical condition
of them. It was also considered whether there were other toilets
nearby."
"Some
toilets are repeatedly vandalised and it is a never ending saga.
Sedgemoor felt it would be better to provide better, but fewer
facilities."
The
news comes amid continuing question marks over the future of Burnham's
Princess Hall, Swimming Pool and fireworks display - all of which
receive funding from Sedgemoor District Council and could be withdrawn
if the town council or other groups do not help to finance and
run them.
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