PUBLIC toilets in seven small communities in West Devon will be closed to meet a Borough Council budget shortfall.

Lifton, Northlew, Buckland Monachorum, Sampford Courtenay, South Zeal, Bere Ferrers and Milton Abbot will all lose their public toilets in a move which will save the borough council almost £9,000.

The environment and health committee meeting on Tuesday, (June 18) agreed to close the seven toilets on February 1, 2003, but in the meantime the council will discuss with the relevant parish councils the possibility of financial and management responsibility for public conveniences being taken on at parish level.

The cuts will reduce the number of public conveniences in West Devon from 27 to 20.

West Devon deputy chief executive David Inman told members they were 'attempting the impossible' by trying to keep open more public toilets than the council could afford to maintain.

He said the council had to 'live within its means' and the time had come for difficult decisions to be taken.

Mr Inman dismissed councillors suggestions that more time should be taken to establish whether keeping some of these public toilets open was financially viable.

'You cannot afford to retain these toilets, you are merely building up your problems. The more we delay it, the greater the problem is going to be,' he told members.

'Your committee has to make hard decisions on this matter,' he warned.

Mr Inman said the toilets chosen for closure had been identified by officers as ones which were seldom used.

He said by reducing the overall number of conveniences, the borough could concentrate on ensuring the good condition of the most frequently used public toilets such as those at the Guildhall in Tavistock.

The report presented to council members accepted the Guildhall toilets — used by residents and visitors alike — were in a 'poor state of general repair.'

Mr Inman said with a Best Value Review of public conveniences due later this year the council had to begin closing toilets in some of the smaller communities or it was likely to be heavily criticised for not running a more efficient service.

Elaine Simkins, clerk of Buckland Monachorum Parish Council, said councillors would be awaiting full information about the costs of running the facility from the borough council before reaching any decisions on its future.

'They don't want their local facility closed because they think it is important to the community,' said Mrs Simkins.

Bere Ferrers resident Martin Hawkins, who was among those who had opposed the borough council's decision to spend thousands of pounds to upgrade the village's toilets in the 1980s, said he thought it was 'incredible' that the council had now decided to close the facility.

Mr Hawkins said at the time, residents believed upgrading the toilet facilities was a 'total waste of money' and the council's decision to close them now only showed that residents had been right in the first place that the toilet would not be well used.

'I do find it incredible after spending all that money, they have decided to close it,' he said.

Cllr Ted Sherrell remained opposed to the closure of the conveniences, which were in villages which might have holiday visitors who needed to use the facilities. 'The provision of public toilet facilities is essential,' he said.

Cllr Sherrell argued that once the selected toilets had been closed the borough council might decide to close more next year and the year after, until only a handful of communities had public toilet provision.

The borough council will now continue dialogue with parish councils to offer them the opportunity to take full responsibility for public toilets in their area.

Last year the total cost of each of the public toilets, excluding maintenance, was around £1,000. The most expensive of the seven was the toilet at North Road, Lifton which cost the borough £1,729.