Public toilets in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge will have longer opening hours over the summer period than in the past when the Town Council takes over the facilities from Somerset Council.
Public toilets, play areas and the maintenance of flower beds are being taken over by the Town Council as part of the devolution of services caused by Somerset Council’s financial emergency and its need to cut back services.
It follows a recent Town Council meeting when Cllr Mike Facey, who is Chairman of the Devolution Working Group, explained that the public toilets provision would not be provided by Somerset Council from April 2025 if the Town Council did not step in to save them.
It was agreed by councillors that the Town Council would enter into a 25-year lease, with a 2-year break clause, for the management and maintenance of the public toilets on Burnham’s South Esplanade, the Oxford Street Car Park, Crosses Penn and Highbridge’s Apex Park from 1st April 2025.
The annual cost to Burnham and Highbridge council tax payers of taking on the toilets is £165,000 which partly contributed to the 35.7% increase in the local Band D council tax rates agreed by councillors last month.
At a meeting on Tuesday evening (February 11th), councillors considered the opening hours for the facilities and decided these would be increased over the summer months from previous years.
They heard that the council’s Devolution Working Group had reviewed the current opening hours, researched options, and considered residents’ feedback.
It was agreed that all the public conveniences opening hours would be 8am-6pm in the winter and 8am to 8pm over the summer months – an extra two hours over the summer months compared to the existing arrangements, subject to contractual arrangements. Radar Key holders will continue to have access to the disabled toilets 24 hours per day.
Event organisers will also be able to request extended opening hours, such as for the Carnival and fireworks, and these will be considered by the council’s Assets & Amenities Committee on a case-by-case basis.
