There are only 25 public toilets in all of Montgomeryshire and even fewer are accessible
New research has revealed there are only seven public toilets in Montgomeryshire accessible to those with disabilities.
The Great British Public Toilet Map tracks publicly available toilets using crowd-sourced information from users and data from councils and other organisations.
It only logs free-to-use toilets which the public can use without having to ask – so 'customers only' loos are excluded.
Analysis of Britain-wide map by Russell George MS discovered the information and that there are only 25 public toilets in the constituency. As these figures are largely based on submissions from the public, they may not reflect the full range of facilities available in the area.
He has expressed concerns that the basic needs of people with disabilities are not met in the constituency, but also that the total number of toilets is no good to supporting the tourism industry that is so popular in the area.
Across Wales, 156 of 682 (23%) public toilets are accessible. This means Wales has the lowest proportion of accessible toilets in the UK, while Northern Ireland had the highest, at 57%.
Commenting, Russell George – Member of the Senedd for Montgomeryshire – said:
“These figures are really concerning. Lots of people in this country have disabilities, including those that need use of a public toilet more than usual, and they need to have confidence that they can access them.
“But it is not just accessibility of those loos that is concerning but the lack of them in general – Montgomeryshire is a tourist destination, one that supports our local economy so if families planning trips to our area see this map, will they still come?
“Not only that, but the Welsh Government’s imposition of the toxic tourism tax and an unfair tax regime for those letting holiday homes, coupled with the lack of public toilets, seems like ministers want to create a hostile environment for tourists.
“Thankfully, we in Mid Wales are resilient and innovative and despite all this, small businesses continue to invest in new initiatives and holiday lodges, proving the doubters wrong. I will be raising this matter with ministers in the Senedd over the coming weeks.”
