There has been some coverage recently of our decision to invest in the District's public toilets: "Vale unveils plans for loos revamp".
This has been on the cards for some time. It was back in November of last year I met with Faringdon Town Council and this exact topic was raised. At the time I spoke of an emerging strategy to upgrade of the public toilets in the Vale. Now as part of this year's budget setting I am pleased to say that we have found nearly £250,000 to be spent on these important local facilities. Complaints about the state of the public toilets are not uncommon and they are seen by visitors to the district as a major problem. It is something that has come up time and again in surveys and consultations. In due course we will be working on detailed plans for revamping every public toilet over the next few years, and in many cases this will be a lot more than a lick of paint! I want to investigate ways that we can make the toilets easier to maintain for the future and deter vandalism. This isn't a quick fix followed by a slow decline, the intention is to change the facilities so that they can be maintained for the long term. As well as investing heavily in these facilities we are also able to freeze council tax and improve leisure facilities. More news on the budget following next week's Council meeting.