I CANNOT allow Cllr Garner-Watts’s comment “Of course we would much prefer to keep the toilets open but to pay for refurbishments and the running costs is just too much” (Echo, May 16) to go unchallenged.
From the reports to the scrutiny committee meeting that I chaired in February that looked into this matter, we discovered that the cost of running the Baiter toilets is £19,700 per annum and it is forecast that they need £13,970 of repairs and maintenance from now until 2020.
Does Cllr Garner-Watts truly believe the council (with its annual revenue budget of £112million) cannot afford to keep open this toilet with annual costs of less than £20,000?
Does he forget that the people of Poole town centre voted for him to represent and defend their local area which is now being defaced by public urination and defecation. Residents need to know that he actually sat on my scrutiny committee and voted to approve the decision to close the toilets.
Further, residents will remember that recently the deputy leader of the council decided to spend over £250,000 of the council’s capital resources on refurbishing the Civic Centre’s reception area until public outcry made her scrap the idea.
Does Cllr Garner-Watts not think that less than 1/10th of this sum (which obviously the council have available) could and should be allocated to refurbish the Baiter toilets instead?
He should seriously consider his continued position as a councillor in Poole.
CLLR PHILIP EADES
Branksome West Ward, Borough of Poole
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