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The businesses which have signed-up to a council scheme to let the public use their toilets for free have been revealed.

At a council cabinet meeting on Wednesday April 19, it was revealed just nine businesses had agreed to a request put out by the council as part of its new public toilets strategy.

That figure has now been revised down by Caerphilly County Borough Council when asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service to name them.

Out of 260 local businesses that were contacted by the council, eight agreed to the scheme – 35 declined and 217 did not respond.

The businesses involved in the scheme are:

• Argoed Baptist Chapel Café
• Café Tyfu, Caerphilly
• Imperial Deserts, Caerphilly
• McDonalds, Blackwood
• McDonalds, Caerphilly
• McDonalds,  Newbridge
• Oasis Coffee Shop, Abertridwr
• Ten Degrees, Caerphilly

Additionally, five healthcare providers – such as GP surgeries, dentists or opticians – agreed to the scheme.

Currently, most public toilets in Caerphilly County Borough are in libraries and leisure centres, in addition to some cafes.

New public toilets are to be built as part of the new transport hub in Caerphilly town.

Businesses taking part in the scheme will be given a sticker to display in their window to advertise the service.

Previously the council had offered businesses a £500 grant to allow public use of the toilets, but not this time.

No statutory obligation to provide public toilets

The council has a duty to review the local toilets strategy every five years, within a year of an election, but this does not mean it has an obligation to provide public toilets.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday April 19, the local toilets strategy was approved by members.

The report stated poor provision of public toilets can negatively impact vulnerable groups such as older people, with some less likely to leave the house because of a lack of adequate facilities.

A map of public toilets across Wales can be found here.