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Fear of being caught short is 'hitting tourism' - claim


By Iain Ramage



toilets demo
toilets demo

A TOURIST boycott of the Highlands is emerging due to a growing perception that there is a shortage of public toilets, it has been claimed.

Campaigners opposing the council’s planned privatisation of 29 of the region’s 96 public loos – aimed at saving £338,000 a year – say it has already impacted the lifeline tourism sector.

Residents who travelled from different coastlines of the northern Highlands lost their argument in a council debate in Inverness last week despite delivering a 14,641-signature petition backing residents’ and visitors’ environmental and economic concerns.

Speaking afterwards, two campaigners claimed evidence had surfaced of a coach tour firm cancelling a booking based on concern for its customers needing comfort breaks while visiting the sparsely populated area.

Petitioner and Kinlochbervie community councillor Margaret Meek said: "The word will spread that it’s not a friendly place for tourists if there are no basic facilities. One person on the petition said once this hits the blogs people will stop coming."

She said she had discussed the situation with a driver of a coach that regularly brings affluent German tourists to the area, who told her public toilets were essential.

Fellow campaigner Christina Perera from Brora said: "We’ve already had people reporting that with coach tours, which are primarily supported by older people, they’ve already starting cancelling because of the situation.

"Older people need toilets. They sometimes can’t access toilets on buses."

The campaigners claimed that negative comment about toilets along the popular NorthCoast500 route had already surfaced online.

NC500 managing director Tom Campbell said: "We remain committed to working with the council and local communities to find a solution to the proposed rationalisation of public toilets and we always welcome feedback – including concerns about access to appropriate facilities."

SNP councillor Kirsteen Currie (Northwest and Central Sutherland) last week urged the council’s independent-led minority administration to scrap its agreed budget policy, prompting a fiery debate.

She said the policy was costed inaccurately within the budget.

Defending the policy, planning chairman Allan Henderson accused the opposition SNP group of failing to contribute to pre-budget discussions. And, while classifying the policy as "rationalisation" of toilets, he reminded the SNP group how he previously opposed a past SNP proposal for the "closure" of public toilets as a budget saving measure.

Council leader Margaret Davidson lambasted critics, saying that "at no stage" had Cllr Currie or any other opposition member contacted her about the issue.

Budget leader Alister Mackinnon sympathised with campaigners’ concerns but said: "As a council, public conveniences are not a statutory function for us.

"We will just have to work with communities to ensure they can get facilities themselves. The budgets just don’t allow for public conveniences.

"Where we can, we will implement charging at them but there are opportunities for the communities to engage themselves."

An opposition SNP motion opposing the council’s handling of the issues was defeated in a 43-20 vote. A Tory amendment added a caveat of seeking revenue funding for toilets from the Scottish Government.

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