PUBLIC toilets in seven small communities in West Devon are to be closed to plug 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 council almost £9,000.

The environment and health committee meeting at Okehampton on Tuesday agreed to close the seven toilets on February 1, 2003.

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.

And Mr Inman dismissed councillors' suggestions that more time should be taken to establish whether keeping some of the 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.

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

A reprieve for the public toilets at South Zeal and Buckland Monachorum was proposed but narrowly defeated.

Some councillors thought these toilets to be special cases because the South Zeal facility was sited at the recreation field where the popular annual summer folk festival is held, and Buckland Monachorum's toilet is near the swimming pool facility at the village school.

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.

A letter was sent to all parishes where public toilets are situated, with six responses received so far.

While some of the responses were positive in content no parish or town council expressed a willingness to assume responsibility for the service, which would include taking on the building, utility and consumable costs, as well as cleaning.

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.