London Loos

Raising a stink: meet the older Londoners campaigning for better public toilet provision 

For many of us, enjoying a leisurely time outdoors to see friends and family, or to visit our favourite café, is something we take for granted. But for older Londoners (in particular, those with certain health conditions) that may require more frequent visits to the loo, uncertainty over the availability of public toilets can leave them unable to go outside as much as they would like. 

Last year, Age UK London published a paper on the state of London’s public toilets and older Londoners’ experiences of them. Surveying almost 600 older Londoners, we found that 81% of respondents felt the public toilets in their borough were not good enough and 40% spend less time in each place due to lacking loo availability. Shockingly, more than half of respondents had described purposefully reducing their water intake before leaving the house, to reduce the risk of needing to use the loo. 

Beyond the physical health risks of purposefully dehydrating yourself, the risk of social isolation stemming from inaccessibility in the public realm is a serious cause for concern – one that the average person might not immediately associate with the availability of public toilets. Thankfully, Age UK London are working alongside several local teams of tireless campaigners, all urging their local councils to improve the provision of public toilets in their area. Supporting groups in Haringey, Islington, and Merton, we’re making steady inroads in placing public toilet provision on local authorities’ agendas. Upon joining the team last month, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of these campaigners and being brought up to speed with their latest influencing activity. 

Loos for Islington – Lynne Friedli, Mike Sanderson, Cornelius McAfee, Leonie Phillip, and Kiyoko Ito – are making steadfast progress in holding their council to account. Most recently, the group have taken their asks directly to Executive Members at Islington Town Hall, seeking clarity on the council’s plans to restore the borough’s automated public toilets, among other concerns. Armed with insight kindly offered by Councillor Caroline Russell, the group had submitted four questions to the council’s budget meeting last month. But the responses they received left the group disappointed and lacking any real assurance that the council was taking the matter seriously enough.  

Following the meeting, it was clear to myself and the group that the council were similarly dissatisfied with the current state of provision. The dire findings of an audit conducted by Cornelius - surveying each of Islington’s automated public toilets – provided a rude awakening to those in attendance. With a second meeting scheduled for the next quarter, the group are feeling encouraged and committed to hold the council’s feet to the fire. 

Over in Haringey, a similarly determined group of campaigners are coming together for better public toilet provision in their borough. John Miles, Gordon Peters, James Cowling, Patrice Wellesley-Cole, Rosemary Dunne, and Ceri Williams are in the process of forming a deputation to the local council. With the required number of signatories met, they’ll be presenting this to Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the 30th of March. This deputation will provide the group a crucial opportunity in pressing Haringey Council to devise a public toilet strategy, engaging meaningfully with residents on the issue, and ideally appointing a named council officer for public toilet provision. 

Similar activity is taking place in Merton, where Julie Mather-Johns, Monica Tulloch and Barbara Sanders are working with the council’s scrutiny team who have launched a comprehensive survey about how residents feel about public toilet provision locally. A running total of 100 toilets has been catalogued by Julie and the group aim to present their findings to the council in April. Their audit not only seeks to gauge the accessibility of these facilities but determine their suitability for a revamped Community Toilet Scheme as well. Such a scheme would see private businesses like shops and cafes encouraged to open their facilities for members of the public, regardless of whether they’re paying customers, with a small grant from the council offered to businesses to contribute to the cost of maintenance and cleaning. 

Only one month into my time here with Age UK London, I’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm and dedication with which these local groups have continued petitioning their representatives – each member of the team lending their time to make real change for their communities. Public toilet provision may affect older Londoners more acutely than other groups, but we would all benefit from greater accessibility outdoors. With more activity planned for the months ahead, be sure to watch this space. 

 Dom Taylor is Campaigns Support Officer at Age UK London