Rye Town Council has voted to use up to £10,000 from reserves to open the public toilets on The Strand as soon as possible. An emergency meeting at the town hall on Monday May 20 was told “Just get them open – the town will never forgive us if we don’t”.
The comments were made by Councillor Mike Boyd and led to a unanimous vote to ensure The Strand toilets will re-open until at least the end of the summer season, although no date was set for them to be unlocked.
Further discussions will be needed with Rother District Council (RDC) who own and run the toilets - and closed the toilets on The Strand and in the Gun Garden as a cost-saving measure last year.
Following the meeting the town council submitted a proposal to take over the running of the Strand Quay conveniences for a four-month period over the summer / early autumn.
Whilst a short-term solution to The Strand toilets may be in sight, finding an answer in the long term for all of Rye public toilets seems far off. The council’s clerk Richard Fairhall was praised for his work behind the scenes with RDC, however long-running discussions over the transfer of funding and freeholds continue to drag on. The toilets in the Gun Garden need expensive repair after vandalism, and there is also no agreement for funding and ongoing maintenance of all four public toilets in Rye.
The meeting heard concerns about coach parties reviewing their trips to Rye. Sarah Broadbent from Rye Chamber of Commerce told the meeting about the affect the closures were having local businesses and explained how the Chamber was trying to help. “We’re exploring whether funding from our levelling up bid could be used and talking to companies about finding a sustainable plan. We are looking at sponsorship ideas and whether touch and pay or turnstiles might be viable. There’s confusion over how other funding streams can be used for ongoing maintenance with different people being told different things.”
Mayor Andy Stuart told the meeting: “Everyone wants the toilets open”, to widespread agreement. Many councillors again expressed frustration at the red tape which appeared to be adding to the delays, and concerns RDC was resisting realistic funding discussions.
Fears were also shared that RDC could even close the two toilets that remain open as a further cost-saving measure. Clerk Richard Fairhall explained RDC appeared to be taking the issue seriously as could be seen by their agreement to work with villagers in Pett to reopen public toilets there.
Rother District Council has been approached for comment.
The meeting also discussed other potential short and long term solutions: bringing in portable toilets, making them unisex, changing the layouts, and working with volunteers ahead of the bank holiday to find a temporary fix.
Councillors also heard how a new law being discussed at Westminster could see local firms getting business rate relief if they open up their toilets to the public.
