Delight at £50,000 saving as Whitton toilet refurbished

6.25.37pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 26th Aug 2009

• RICHMOND Council has re-launched the public toilets in Whitton after they were given a significant overhaul by convicted offenders on Community Payback, in a project which has saved taxpayers £50,000.

As well as refurbishing the building to keep these toilets in good condition, the Council has been working hard to expand its Community Toilet Scheme, where businesses and organisations open their facilities to the public to ensure there is ample provision across the borough.

Cllr Geoff Acton, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Environment said: "Provision of public toilets is an issue we take seriously so I'm delighted to be re-opening this much-improved toilet block. In Richmond upon Thames, we believe that safe, clean toilets are essential in making the area a great place for visitors and residents and this is why, through a combination of the work we have done in Whitton, and our groundbreaking Community Toilet Scheme, we have vastly increased the number of toilets available to the public to nearly 100."

"I'm also very pleased to say that we brought this project in at £50,000 less than originally expected, through the use of the community payback workers, which means the money can be spent on other front line services to benefit residents. This project shows that when offenders are found guilty, they are punished in a way that really makes a difference to the place where they may well have committed the offences."

The Community Payback workers spent eight hours a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, at the toilets in Nelson Road and have been there since April. They have replaced cisterns toilet seats, mirrors, doors, plumbing and the floor covering. They have also painted the building to improve its appearance for users. Weeds around the toilet block have also been cut back by the group and the keys to the newly refurbished toilets will be handed over to Cllr Acton on Monday 10 August.