It happens every so often – you’re out enjoying the city and suddenly you need to go. London has a range of public toilets for just such an occasion, but they’re not always clearly signposted. Sometimes you just have to put on your “No really, I’m going to buy a coffee” face and nip into Starbucks, making it look like you’re heading for the counter while heading for the conveniences.
The London Assembly’s Health and Public Services Committee have taken the loo-related needs of Londoners and visitors to heart, and produced a report detailing London’s public toilet provision and what needs to be done to improve matters. Given the numbers expected for the London Olympics next year, I sense a certain urgency (a feeling those caught short are no doubt familiar with).
The Health and Public Services Committee’s report, published in July 2011, records a total of 401 local authority public toilets in the Greater London area. Camden has the most, with 27. The report notes that Camden spends £400,000 a year on toilet provision. Other facilities are available through community toilet schemes, where commercial and retail organisations open their toilet facilities to the general public on a borough by borough basis. Then there’s the Mayor’s Open London scheme, launched in 2009, which invited retail spaces such as supermarkets and restaurants to do likewise across the city. Organisations which joined the scheme include Tescos, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s.
While the committee called for a coordinated city-wide map of local authority public toilets to be made available in a variety of formats, the internet-savvy can rest assured. Sites such as toiletmaplondon.com and toiluxeapp.com can provide the promise of relief at the click of a mouse.
