Merton (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Merton residents back Age UK’s London-wide campaign, calling on local authorities to improve public toilet access and hygiene across the borough.
In response to Age UK’s “London Loos” campaign, More Loos for Merton are advocating for improved public restroom accessibility in the neighborhood.
Keith Davies, a prominent member of More Loos for Merton, described the obvious disparity in toilet availability across boroughs with and without higher levels of wealth.
He said:
“Other councils were working harder to improve provision and encourage community toilet schemes.
For example, in Richmond and in Lewisham, they were much further ahead than Merton as far as encouraging community toilet schemes were concerned.”
The city now has only 1,500 public restrooms, which is hardly adequate for an area of almost eight million people, according to the London Loos campaign.
The Age UK program is a component of the Out and About campaign, which aims to address the growing levels of isolation among older adults by enhancing community infrastructure.
It is thought that better public restrooms will help older Londoners feel less socially isolated.
According to research by Age UK, many elderly people are less comfortable leaving their homes because they are concerned about not having access to a toilet when they need one.
Concerns regarding the existing condition of public restrooms in the region have also been voiced by Merton residents.
More Loos for Merton was established in November 2022 as a result of a survey on public restrooms in the borough that was conducted by Merton Council in the fall of 2022.
According to the survey, nine out of ten locals thought that Merton’s current toilet facilities were either inadequate or extremely poor.
Following an audit conducted by More Loos For Merton in the spring of 2023, independent Councillor Steven Mercer prepared a report on the borough’s existing public restrooms, which was subsequently forwarded to the council’s scrutiny committee.
As part of the council’s public health strategy, Cllr. Mercer urged the committee to acknowledge public restrooms.
Although Davies said the process has been sluggish, Merton Council promised to provide funding for a temporary project officer for the campaign group by the spring of 2024 who would examine the current bathroom plan and reinstate it throughout the borough.
Davies said:
“They’re not really putting much money into it, in our view. Especially given the massive impact public toilet provision has for older people, people with disabilities and for parents with small children.
It seems as if the Council has expected the private sector or charity sector to step in. Particularly with the cost of living crisis, they’re not necessarily able to fund additional cleaning, or additional maintenance of these facilities if they open them to the public.”
Age UK London’s campaigns manager John McGeachy, said:
“The provision of toilets is a basic need and the lack of toilets, highlighted in our Lifting the Lid, shows that the number of toilets in London is at its lowest level ever.
Local authorities in London must take responsibility to ensure toilets are available not just for older people but for all residents and visitors to their boroughs.”
The local groups that we support in six boroughs including More Loos for Merton do a great job working with the local authorities to drive change on this issue.
Lack of toilets has profound effects including the “loo leash” where older people are unable to leave their homes due to the lack of toilets.
During this time of year, we are encouraging people to stay hydrated particularly in the hot weather, but people are reluctant to do so due to the lack of toilets or prefer to stay at home.
And it’s not just older people who are affected.
People suffering from a variety of conditions and illnesses including Crohn’s and Colitis and prostate cancer as well as people with disabilities, parents with children and delivery and taxi drivers, postmen and other tradespeople.
This is a public health issue and councils must step up to the mark when it comes to the provision of toilets.
The campaign group have also been working alongside Merton and Wandsworth’s GLA member, Leonie Cooper, who along with Cllr Mercer is putting pressure on TfL to reintroduce public toilets at Morden tube station.
The group is hopeful these public toilets will become available in autumn of this year.
A Merton Council spokesperson said:
“The council recognises that adequate provision of toilets for public use is an important matter for the health and wellbeing of our residents, and is taking steps to increase the number of facilities. Our Community Toilet Scheme has recently been refreshed and is being delivered by a dedicated project officer.
The scheme helps enable the public to use toilets for free in participating local businesses, including cafés, shops and restaurants, during their opening hours. This is on top of already accessible toilets in community facilities such as leisure centres and libraries. As part of our new strategy, the council is working to bring more businesses into the scheme.”
The Great British Toilet Map, linked on the council’s website highlights 43 available facilities across Merton.
What specific actions are residents taking to improve toilet access in Merton?
The council was successfully convinced to relaunch and properly resource an enlarged CTS by local advocates, including the group More Loos for Merton. This program increases the number of restrooms available by encouraging nearby establishments, such as bars, supermarkets, and government agencies, to make their restrooms available to the public for free.
In order to advocate for improved toilet availability and policies addressing “loo deserts”—areas without accessible restrooms—campaigners have spoken at council meetings and met directly with council leaders, including the Deputy Leader.
They have persuaded the council to appoint a specialized officer to concentrate on enhancing restroom accessibility and filling up Merton’s supply shortages.