Salisbury’s draft budget suggests closing two public toilets to save costs
Salisbury: The city is looking at some budget cuts that might close two public toilets. The draft budget suggests shutting down the Central Car Park toilets and the Market Place ones by 2025/26.
But don’t worry, the newer disabled facility in Market Place will stay open. The closures could save the city around £108,725 in cleaning fees and an extra £5,000 from reduced toilet costs.
Some local Conservatives are not happy about this plan. They only wanted to close the Market Place toilets, which would save £58,725 a year. They think the cuts are too harsh.
During a recent Finance and Governance Committee meeting, they discussed these proposals. Just a year ago, the council said they had “no intention” of closing the Market Place toilets.
Councillor Victoria Charleston, who leads the Liberal Democrats, hopes these closures won’t be permanent. She believes the city can find better solutions.
At the meeting, they looked at two budget plans: one from the administration and one from the Conservatives. The administration’s plan passed with a couple of changes and will be reviewed at a full council meeting soon.
There’s also talk of a possible council tax increase of 4.99% for Band D properties, which would mean an extra £18.15 a year, or about 35p a week.
Conservative councillor Jeremy Nettle criticized the administration’s budget, calling it “business as usual.” He questioned what new ideas they had for residents.
He also mentioned that closing the Central Car Park toilets, which many consider the best in Salisbury, isn’t a good idea. The Market Place toilets, on the other hand, are old and not very convenient.
Artist Krishna Malla even painted murals on the Central Car Park toilets last May, showing they have some community value.
Cllr Charleston responded to the criticism, saying the budget is realistic and sensible. She wants to keep current services while improving some.
She described the Market Place toilets as leaking and unsafe, mentioning past incidents that raised concerns about safety.
They’ve discussed alternatives, like using business toilets, but they want to be smart with their money.
The budget also includes plans for solar panels at the city council’s depot to save on utility costs later.
The Conservatives had their own ideas, like spending £350,000 to improve the Churchill Gardens car park and investing in a splash park.
However, their proposals to cut grants to local museums and community projects were voted down. Still, two of their ideas made it into the administration’s draft budget.
One idea is to build a stage in Market Square for a trial period to see if it could be a permanent feature. The mayor even joked about filling in the Market Place toilets with concrete.
