Councillors have met with businesses to discuss the impact of the possible closure of seafront public toilets. Eastbourne Borough Council is currently consulting on a community toilet scheme, which would involve businesses being asked to allow public access to their facilities. The council needs to make £2.
7 million in savings to balance its books for the year ahead, having already made £3 million in cuts. It says that the maintenance of public toilets costs over £300,000 annually. The Friends of Eastbourne Seafront group is campaigning against the proposal and the possible closure of public toilets, chairing a meeting with businesses in the area on the issue.
Business owners raised concerns about the lack of public facilities damaging Eastbourne’s reputation as a tourist destination, while others said not enough details have been shared about the scheme. READ MORE: Cries of 'shame on you' over proposals to shut seafront public toilets One business reported that since the closure of a nearby public toilet, it had experienced a 60 per cent drop in customers. A petition against the scheme has amassed 5,000 signatures.
Eastbourne Borough councillor Jane Lamb said: “I hope that Eastbourne's Liberal Democrat administration is listening to the significant outcry from residents and local businesses against their proposals to close our toilets. Toilets on Eastbourne seafront could be closed (Image: N Chadwick/Geograph) “To hear that one business has seen a 60 per cent fall i.
