Anger over loo closure

Visitors to Hednesford will have to do without public toilets after Cannock councillors decided against spending a penny on them.

Ruling members of Cannock Chase Council are expected to rubber-stamp plans to close the toilets, in Victoria Street, in a bid to save money.

In this year's budget councillors agreed to shut the toilets, saving them £14,000 in maintenance costs.

Hednesford Town Council has hit out at the district and urged the cabinet to re-consider closing the loos and called for them to be brought back up to an acceptable standard.

But the council has hit back saying the cost of doing so would be "considerable" and on top of the savings made by closing them.

The council's ruling cabinet will meet on Thursday and are expected to rule out spending any money on refurbishing the toilets and will also reject proposals to provide facilities at the Aquarius ballroom next door.

The council claims this is not a practical option due to the ballroom's limited opening times and increased costs.

The district council is under no legal obligation to provide public toilets.

Councillor Doris Grice, chairman of Hednesford Town Council criticised the closure. She said: "Those toilets are in an absolutely disgusting state and we would have been prepared to keep them open but not in the condition they are in.

"We wanted the district council to bring them up to standard but they won't do it. They would rather close them instead."

She added: "This is their responsibility. They can't keep pushing the costs onto the parish councils. They are already asking us to take on bus shelters as well while they fill their pockets."

Council leader Councillor Neil Stanley admitted the council had no idea how many people used the toilets but added: "Rugeley Town Council decided to take on public toilets but Hednesford Town Council did not even after they put their council tax up this year by 43 per cent and have £100,000 in reserve.

"It is a political decision that they have decided not to take them on."