Campaigners pushing for a return of public toilets in Newcastle have demanded a meeting with council bosses.
Tenants’ union ACORN is battling to have Newcastle City Council reverse its decision to shut down the last of the city’s public conveniences a decade ago. Activists intercepted city councillors heading out of the civic centre on Thursday evening to make their case, demanding that the council commits to meeting ACORN and moves firstly to reopen the disabled toilet in Leazes Park.
Some of Newcastle’s former council-run WCs have been transformed since their closure amid budget cuts in 2012, with the well-known loos in the Bigg Market and High Bridge having become bars. But ACORN has called for new facilities to be made available in busy areas like the city centre and the Quayside, particularly to help the elderly and disabled, with around 500 people having backed a petition calling for “accessible, clean, and safe public toilets for all who need them in all major public spaces”.
