Splash that cash on Lanark toilets, council is urged

Part of a pre-council election pledge to spend £1m per ward on the services local people want most could be met by reopening at least one public lavatory in Lanark.
The public toilets at the Horsemarket in Lanark.The public toilets at the Horsemarket in Lanark.
The public toilets at the Horsemarket in Lanark.

That suggestion has been made to South Lanarkshire Council’s new minority Scottish National Party administration by a candidate voted out at May’s election, former independent councillor Ed Archer.

He said that his personal plea for the cash allocated to the Clydesdale North ward, containing Lanark and Forth, would be to restore the public lavatories at the Horsemarket, closed due to council spending cutbacks two years ago.

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He told the Gazette: “It is ridiculous that a town the size of Lanark now has no public lavatories at all, and I have suggested that, if the SNP honour their election promise to spend £1m a ward on what residents want, there is more than enough evidence to say that at least some of that money should be spent reopening the public toilets.”

He said that Lanark’s efforts to bolster its tourist trade would be helped by such a re-pening and added that local residents had consistently complained about the lack of such facilities, especially older citizens who can remember the days when Lanark had at least six public lavatories,

“The return of the Horsemarket toilets is certainly something that the people of the town want, and restoring them would be a very popular move,” he said.

This week, the council launched a public consultation to help it decide how its resources should be used, and a spokesman said: “Residents are bring encouraged to give their views on the opportunities that exist in their communities.

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“The South Lanarkshire Partnership is developing its local outcomes improvement plan to create a shared vision to deliver improved opportunities for everyone in our communities. 

“The plan produced will form the the basis of neighbourhood plans that will tackle inequalities where they exist the most.

“The opinions of the people who form those communities will be a vital part of the plan’s preparation, so we are keen to hear residents’ views and learn what matters to them.

“To enable people to play their part, a survey has been created which will take only a few minutes to complete.

“It can be accessed through the link to a web browser, http://tinyurl.com/SLCLOIP

“A paper copy of the form is available by phoning 01698 454018.