A DECISION by cash-strapped Oxford City Council to close seven public toilets to save £50,000 a year has been criticised.

Toilets in Castle Street, in the city centre, Littlemore, Woodstock Road and South Parade in North Oxford, Barns Road in Cowley, Knight’s Road in Blackbird Leys, and Headington Hill Park are expected to be sold off or demolished.

Toilets in Gloucester Green are to be refurbished into a “world-class” facility, at a cost of £300,000, with visitors charged 20p to use them.

The Labour-run council plans to borrow the money to revamp the Gloucester Green toilets and, with a predicted annual income of £25,000 a year, it will take 12 years to repay the investment.

The decision to close the conveniences was made on Wednesday. Councillors also agreed to encourage shops and businesses to open up their toilets to everyone — not just customers.

Last night, Jean Fooks, Liberal Democrat councillor for Summertown, said: “The council has just invested £55,000 for a new play area for Alexandra Park, off Woodstock Road, but it is closing the nearby toilets.

“The elderly will be particularly hard hit by these closures — I know some of them don’t go out if they are not sure of finding a loo.

“This is not joined-up thinking and people will end up urinating in the park.

“Age Concern wrote a letter to the council complaining about the proposal, but its views have not been included in any report.

“You can have a world-class loo in Gloucester Green, but that only serves one part of the city.

“This decision will not encourage visitors to keep coming to Oxford and it’s bad news for the elderly.”

Mother-of-two Laura Evers, 38, a spokesman for the Friends of Alexandra Park, urged the council not to close the ladies’ toilets in South Parade and the men’s toilets in Woodstock Road.

She said: “I have two children, aged five and three, and if there is an event in the park, they need somewhere nearby to go to the toilet.

“The retail outlets in Summertown don’t want people coming in just to use the toilet.”

City council Green leader Craig Simmons said: “Labour has made promises to provide alternative provision by entering into deals to use facilities in restaurants, shops and cafes, but no firm plans are in place.”

Labour city councillor John Tanner, board member for a cleaner, greener Oxford, said the toilets would close as early as Monday, with the Gloucester Green toilets refurbished between 2010-11.

He added: “We are keeping open the toilets most people use most of the time.

“I have never known this city council so short of money. I started off regretting these closures, but now I could think of lots of other ways of spending £50,000 a year.”

The demolition costs will be taken from the City Works budget.

Mr Tanner said part of the £50,000 annual saving was being made by redeploying two members of staff.

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk