Merthyr Tydfil Toilet Strategy
Toilets for public use matter to everybody who goes “away from home”. They are, however, even more important to certain groups within society, including older people, people with disabilities, people with particular needs (including certain medical problems), women, children and young people and their families. These groups can be disproportionately affected by poor provision; for example, poor provision is understood to have particular negative impacts on older people, as some may be less likely to leave their homes without having confidence that adequate facilities will be available to them. This can contribute to increased social isolation and inactivity, as well as affecting people’s ability to maintain independence and dignity in later life.
Part 8 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017: Provision of Toilets came into force on 31st May 2018 and places a duty on each local authority in Wales to prepare and publish a local toilets strategy for its area.
Local authorities in Wales now have the responsibility to:
- assess the need for toilet provision for their communities
- plan to meet those needs
- produce a local toilets strategy; and
- review the strategy, update and publicise revisions