PUBLIC toilet provision in Tavistock is under threat, following a cash-strapped borough council decision to cut back on facilities in West Devon.

The borough is presently going cap-in-hand to parish councils to see if they would be willing to take on responsibility for eight of its 25 sites ? a further eight will be closed on a seasonal basis. Nine will continue to be run by the borough, with contributions towards running costs from the parishes.

A delegation of officers and councillors from the borough council met Tavistock town councillors last week, to explain their cash crisis and ask for help.

David Inman, borough deputy chief executive, said the council was facing a huge £800,000 ?black hole? in its £6 million budget, due to a cut in grants from central government.

He said councillors had been forced to think long and hard about fundamental services the authority had to provide and areas where services could be cut back.

?There are very few discretionary services ? one of these is public conveniences,? said Mr Inman.

He said the borough had decided to discontinue the provision of toilets in the Brook Street car park with effect from April 1. The town council could, if it wished, take on these toilets.

The Guildhall toilets, one of the nine most used in West Devon, were a particular problem, said Mr Inman, who admitted the borough was looking to the town to provide ?a sizeable contribution? towards their future.

Facilities contracts manager Helen Dobby said there were major difficulties concerning the leaking roof of the Guildhall facilities, the camber of the floor also created problems when there was water ingress and the building did not comply with current disability legislation. She said to ?make good? the building would cost around £100,000, which would only bring it up to today?s standards.

?The cost of a total refurbishment is likely to be in the region of £200,000. It?s expensive, but when you compare it with the cost of making good the existing facilities, to us, that?s the way to go,? said Mrs Dobby.

Borough councillor Dick Eberlie said there were three options to consider. Closure and clearance of the site, which would put additional pressure on town council owned toilets in the pannier market; the ?making good? option or total refurbishment.

If the toilets were left as they were, they would be closed during bad weather on health and safety grounds.

Town councillor Betty Batchelor was opposed to any new-build facilities which did not provide shelter for anyone waiting outside the cubicles, such as the new Fairplace toilets at Okehampton.

?That certainly wouldn?t be the ambience we would expect in the middle of a market town,? she said.

Town councillors Mandy Govier and Peter Jones asked what figure the borough council was asking for, when it needed to be paid and queried the ongoing maintenance costs.

Mr Inman admitted the borough was looking for a two thirds/one third partnership which would cost the town more than £70,000 for the total rebuild option. It would not necessarily have to be paid this year. Maintenance was likely to be on the present basis that parishes contributed 30% towards cleaning.

The town council agreed to discuss the options at the next finance committee meeting in February. They rejected the offer of taking on the Brook Street toilets.