Cllr Les Hamilton on the lack of public toilets currently available for use in Portslade. Brighton & Hove residents deserve better, the Labour Councillor says:

A few years back we had six sets of public toilets in the South Portslade ward, but this has been in decline.

Sadly, the toilets at Victoria Recreation Ground were closed years ago. There was a toilet block behind Portslade Town Hall but that was closed and demolished to make way for the construction of council flats. We were promised that as compensation the toilets inside the Town Hall would be accessible from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. However, since Covid-19, Portslade Town Hall is permanently locked so this option is no longer available.

That left three blocks. The toilets in Station Road Portslade are closed and have been for several weeks. They are scheduled for refurbishment but who knows when. They could still be used. The toilets in Vale Park are also closed. When one considers that lived-in vehicles are parked in the adjacent car park this causes a new problem. Attempts to get the council to remove such vehicles from the car park have fallen on deaf ears. That leaves just the toilets at Easthill Park which are also closed.

As a result, there are now no public toilets open in Portslade.

From 6 down to 0 is a rather drastic reduction. Further enquiries make it clear that the Station Road, Vale Park and Easthill Park toilets are closed as an economy measure, saying that the council cannot afford to keep them open. There is a toilet at Portslade Station but this is only available to those with disabilities that have the appropriate key.

All the council can suggest is that residents use the toilets in Portslade Library. This building is only open to the general public about 35 hours a week and on 3 days it is closed to the general public.

We always talk about manifestos when we come to elections. Based on my casework the most common complaints from residents relate to refuse and recycling collections, weeds growing on the pavements, little road sweeping and grass verges not cut back.

The general rundown look of Portslade is a common complaint. Unfortunately, these issues seem to be very low on the Green Administration’s priority list.

Residents expect a basic level of service in the listed areas but a Green Administration cannot provide them. Residents deserve better.

Cllr Les Hamilton, Labour Councillor for South Portslade

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Image: Brighton & Hove News