FAQ – Reopening of Guildhall toilets

Looe Town Council took on the management of the town’s public toilets from Cornwall Council in 2017 to prevent them being closed completely. Since then, we have undertaken limited maintenance but this year, we are planning a more comprehensive programme of refurbishment and maintenance including a complete refit at The Guildhall and roof repair at Seafront. Going forward, both Millpool and Hannafore will require significant maintenance work.

Why are you introducing charging at The Guildhall?

Most of the cost of running and maintaining the public toilets in Looe comes from Looe residents’ council tax. We estimate that will be around £220,000 this year. We do get some income from the toilets that currently charge to offset that, but earlier this year, Councillors agreed that charging would be introduced at all the toilet blocks, phased over time and beginning at The Guildhall. This is so that the running costs can be shared more fairly between Looe residents and those who use the facilities. We do not currently have a timetable for introducing charging at Hannafore and West Looe as that is dependent on other factors such as the maintenance timings.

Does this include the accessible toilets?

Yes it does as we have had issues with inappropriate use of radar keys in the past.

How much will it cost?

It will cost 40p to use a Looe Town Council toilet

Do local residents get a discount?

If you have a PL13 postcode, you can get a Residents’ Toilet Card. This costs just £5 and once you’ve paid, you have the card forever. You’ll then get free entry into any of the toilets that charge (up to 30 visits per month). That means even if you only keep your card for a year, each toilet visit will cost just over 1p.

You can buy your toilet card from Looe Library & Community Hub.

Who do I contact if I have any further queries?

Please direct any queries to enquiries@looetowncouncil.gov.uk