Pressure is growing on Caerphilly County Borough Council to reverse its decision to close public toilets in five of its communities.
A petition calling for Blackwood bus station toilets to be saved has reached more than 1,400 signatures, while a separate appeal opposing closures in Risca’s Tredegar Street has nearly 1,000 supporters.
Efforts are also being made to find alternatives from the impending closure of toilets in Caerphilly’s Station Road.
Toilets at Bargoed bus station and Bedwlwyn Street in Ystrad Mynach are also earmarked for closure from April 1, with the council hoping to save £74,000 by closing all five facilities.
Councillor Kevin Etheridge, who has backed the Blackwood petition, says residents are “appalled and dismayed” by the decision taken in February following a public consultation.
But Blackwood has been given hope by developers looking to build a new market square in the town, complete with public toilets.
Fellow Blackwood councillor Nigel Dix, who has raised the issue of the toilets being closed in relation to the bus station cafe, is calling for the council to at least find a way to keep the toilets open until the market development is complete.
He said: “The developer has come forward to provide new toilet facilities within the new artisan market development. This is good news for Blackwood and I have asked the council to find away of keep the current toilet facilities open until the new toilet is ready.”
With opposition mounting in Blackwood, mother-of-two Hannah Godwin looked to raise awareness of the proposals for Risca.
“My children use the nearby park regularly but it’s close to shops and the bus station, and I’ve seen bus drivers use the toilets as well,” said Mrs Godwin.
“I shared an article on social media to make everyone aware and it got more than 90 comments.
“I thought that none of these comments would be seen so I wanted to do something to raise it further. It’s got bigger than I expected.”
Mrs Godwin had been told by Labour councillors that if the toilets were kept than savings would have to be made elsewhere.
But concerns have been raised about the council’s cabinet approving plans to spending £175,000 from budgetary underspends on upgrading lighting at their offices, with hopes of saving £24,000 a year.
Mrs Godwin said: “Our council tax is going up and the council is getting their own refurbishments, so why has it come to deciding between keeping toilets or the meals on wheels service?”
In Caerphilly town, ward councillors Jamie Pritchard and Shayne Cook have met with the Taxi Drivers’ Association and the council to discuss ways to keep the Station Road toilets open.
Cllr Pritchard said they would not be drawn into “political party disputes”, after their Labour group and its Plaid Cymru counterparts clashed over the proposals.
Plaid councillor Stephen Kent described the decision as “incredibly short-sighted”, adding that it would affect elderly and vulnerable residents.
He said: “Myself and fellow Plaid ward councillor Colin Elsbury opposed the closure at regeneration scrutiny committee and I opposed this at full council.
“These toilets are well used and needed by elderly people and those with medical problems. In addition, they are an important facility for the busy male and female taxi drivers that work from the station area.
“Caerphilly is promoted as a tourist town and yet the Labour council is letting down visitors by closing these facilities. Millions of pounds has been wasted on the senior officers’ pay scandal and council tax is rising by a whopping 6.95%, yet the council decides to close public toilets.
“Labour councillors in Caerphilly rather than wanting to save the public toilets voted for the cuts and close them. I hope electors will remember those that have let them down.”
Deputy council leader Barbara Jones said the Labour administration had no desire to close the toilets, adding that the “difficult” decision came amid financial pressures.
Cllr Pritchard said: “We’re concentrating our efforts on working with the association, and anybody else who has ideas, and avoiding the needless party politics. There continues to be huge cuts to budgets, so other options need to be explored. In the space of a week we’ve convened meetings with the association and the council to try to achieve progress.
“We’re trying to achieve a satisfactory outcome for residents.”