The Town Toilets - why St Neots is having to pay

The public conveniences (PCs)in St Neots still seem to be a source of discontentment amongst parts of the population of St Neots. So lets get some fact straight.

1. The PCs are owned by HDC.
2. There were 3.
3. The PC situated in the Riverside Car Park in an HDC owned Car Park.
4. The Tebbutts Road PC is situated in the HDC owned Tebbutts Road Car Park
5. The South Street PC was closed.
6. HDC let the Town Council run all 3 PCs under an Agency Agreement until 2006.
7. Under the Agency Agreement HDC PAID the Town Council to run these PCs on its behalf.
8. In 2006 HDC decided to scrap the Agency Agreement and bring all PCs in Huntingdonshire under one contract.
9. HDC did spend a large amount of money doing up PCs not due for closure.
10. HDC decided to end this service. No discussions with any of the Town Councils before making this decision.
11. One of the reasons HDC gave for making the Town Councils take up the service was they knew the demand better than HDC. But HDC were running the PCs. Obviously they didn't know the demand yet expected the Town Councils to know.
12. Unlike the Agency Agreement where St Neots Town Council was PAID to clean the PCs, the Town Council has taken over the cost at £30,000 to the St Neots Council taxpayer.
13. Conservative run Huntingdon Town Council has refused to take on their HDC owned PCs and continue to inform HDC of that.
14. By cutting the PCs Conservative run HDC was able to boast about keeping their rise in Council Tax down to 2.5%. In St Neots we picked up the bill for that.