Calls for more loos in city centre, says councillor

There have been renewed calls for a council to install public toilets in a city centre, a councillor said.

Raja Sabeel Ahmed, a Conservative councillor on Peterborough City Council, said he has had "overwhelming" appeals from constituents asking for loos to be updated in the city.

"Residents from my ward and across the city have been in contact with me and they've raised one question – 'whenever we go to the city centre there are no toilet facilities'," Ahmed said.

Peterborough City Council has been contacted for a comment.

Ahmed added that he has written to the local authority to ask for facilities to be provided.

"That [no public toilets] is a major issue for people visiting the city centre," Ahmed, who represents the Ravensthorpe ward, said.

Ahmed acknowledged there were some publicly accessible toilets inside shops and restaurants around the city centre, such as behind Peterborough Town Hall and within the Queensgate Shopping Centre.

However, he said, many of these facilities were generally only for customers and not always convenient for people with additional needs.

"I had a person with a disability. He went to town with me and he couldn't find a toilet.

"People want them in the centre; easily accessible," he said.

Families with children with special education needs and disabilities said previously that a lack of Changing Places toilets - large accessible toilets for disabled people that include hoists, changing benches and space for carers - around the city was putting them at risk.

While the idea of opening new facilities has support, some people have voiced concerns that any new public toilets in the city centre may potentially serve to attract groups or individuals looking to engage in anti-social behaviour.

Ahmed said restricted operating hours could help mitigate the chances of the facilities being used for anything other than their intended purpose.

He further added that having cleaners and attendants present would help to keep the site in decent order.

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