# Reopening Public Toilets Across Brighton and Hove: Acorn Union Calls On Council To Follow Through On Commitments
Key Highlights :
Residents of Brighton and Hove have been calling on the local council to follow through on its commitments to reopen public toilets across the city. Acorn, a community union, has collected signatures from hundreds of residents in recent weeks calling for all of Brighton and Hove's public toilets to be reopened. In response, the union delivered a letter of demands to Hove Town Hall, calling on the Labour administration to address the issue as several of the city’s toilets remain closed, despite commitments to reopen them all.
A spokesman for Acorn said: “Earlier this year, Acorn ran a successful campaign to get Brighton and Hove City Council to reverse its plans to close our public toilets. Since then, we are pleased to see many of our public toilets re-opened. However, we are concerned that several of our public toilets remain closed. Access to public toilets is a basic right and we are particularly concerned of the impact this has upon the disabled, elderly and people with children to be able to freely enjoy our city and its public spaces. As part of our campaign, we received pledges from Labour councillors that they would protect all our public toilets and we expect them to keep that commitment.”
Lead councillor for the environment Tim Rowkins said: “We’ve reopened a number of public toilets in the city since May. Of the 36 sets of public toilets managed by the council, 32 are now open and are being serviced daily for the benefit of residents and visitors. As of Tuesday, October 3, the toilets in the foyer of the Brighton Dome in Church Street will also be open to the general public. They will be open six days per week, Tuesday to Sunday, from 9.45am to 5.15pm. The toilets at Greenleas Park are closed temporarily - we hope to get these open once again this week. The other three have maintenance and security issues that we are continuing to work on. These are at the Royal Pavilion Gardens, The Level and Black Rock. We are determined to get these three toilet facilities back open as soon as possible and are actively looking for funding to make this happen. There are also toilets available in our libraries and leisure centres.”
Acorn’s campaign is an important reminder that public toilets are essential to the functioning of our cities. They provide a basic human right to access a safe and hygienic space to use the restroom. The closure of public toilets can have a disproportionate impact on those with disabilities, the elderly, and those with young children. It is essential that the council follows through on its commitments to reopen all public toilets across Brighton and Hove to ensure that everyone can access the facilities they need.
