Calls grow to save Caerphilly borough toilets from closure as petitions gain support

A petition calling for Blackwood bus station toilets to be saved has reached more than 1,400 signatures, while a separate appeal opposing closures in Risca Park has nearly 1,000 supporters.

Efforts are also being made to find alternatives from the impending closure of toilets in Caerphilly’s Station Road.

Toilets at Bargoed bus station and Bedwlwyn Street in Ystrad Mynach are also earmarked for closure from April 1, with the council hoping to save £74,000 by closing all five facilities.

READ MORE: Caerphilly council's 6.95% tax rise passed after heated debate

Councillor Kevin Etheridge, who has backed the Blackwood petition, says residents are ‘appalled and dismayed’ by the decision taken in February following a public consultation.

Councillor Kevin Etheridge

But Cllr Etheridge has been given hope by developers looking to build a new market square in the town, complete with public toilets.

With opposition growing in Blackwood, Hannah Godwin looked to raise awareness of the proposals for Risca.

“My children use the nearby park regularly but it’s close to shops and the bus station, and I’ve seen bus drivers use the toilets as well,” said the mother-of-two.

The toilets at Risca Park are used by everyone, not just park users, says Hannah Godwin

“I shared an article on social media to make everyone aware and it got more than 90 comments. It’s got bigger than I expected.”

READ MORE: Calls for toilet strategy 'flawed' amid Caerphilly council cuts, says leader

Mrs Godwin had been told by Labour councillors that if the toilets were kept than savings would have to be made elsewhere.

But concerns have been raised about the council’s cabinet approving plans to spending £175,000 from budgetary underspends on upgrading lighting at their offices, with hopes of saving £24,000 a year.

Mrs Godwin said: “Our council tax is going up and the council is getting their own refurbishments, so why has it come to deciding between keeping toilets or the meals on wheels service?”

In Caerphilly, ward councillors Jamie Pritchard and Shayne Cook have met with the Taxi Drivers Association and the council to discuss ways to keep the Station Road toilets open.

Cllr Jamie Pritchard

Cllr Pritchard said they would not be drawn into ‘political party disputes’, after their Labour group and its Plaid Cymru counterparts clashed over the proposals.

Plaid councillor Stephen Kent described the decision as ‘incredibly short-sighted’, while deputy council leader Barbara Jones said the ‘difficult’ decision came amid financial pressures on the Labour administration.

Cllr Pritchard said: “We’re trying to achieve a satisfactory outcome for residents.”