Key Facts

• The Bill provides business rates relief for public lavatories.
• It applies retrospectively from April 2020.
• The relief is for eligible properties, backdated to the start of this financial year.
• Colleagues in the House campaigned long and hard for the Bill's introduction.
• The Bill provides 100% mandatory business rates relief to properties in England and Wales used wholly or mainly as public lavatories.
• Local authorities will be compensated by central government for any loss of local income resulting from the measure.
• The measure has retrospective effect from April 1, 2021.
• The statement references a sign in Pondicherry, India that clearly marks public lavatories.
• Public toilets are crucial for health, freedom of movement, and cleanliness.
• The Bill addresses some aspects of financing but may not be sufficient to remedy funding gaps due to past cuts.
• The Bill helps only buildings that are solely or mainly public toilets.
• The Royal Society for Public Health estimates running costs of public toilets between £15,000 and £60,000 per year.
• At least 673 public toilets closed between 2010 and 2018 according to BBC's Reality Check.
• The Bill aims to exempt public lavatories from non-domestic rates.
• It is the culmination of an eight-year mission by the MP.
• Public toilets are essential for rural areas, tourists, elderly people, and key workers.
• The cost of these measures to the Treasury is around £8 million.
• Many parish councils face huge pressures due to income losses and additional costs during the pandemic.
• Public toilets are vital for communities, especially those with hidden disabilities, medical conditions, pregnant women, the elderly, and people suffering from prostate cancer.
• Providing 100% business rate relief will make it easier for local councils to maintain public toilet facilities.
• In Cornwall, towns and villages manage over 200 public toilets after being transferred by Cornwall Council, often with significant financial burdens due to business rates fees.
• The Bill provides 100% relief for public lavatories from business rates.
• Public toilet closures have occurred across many constituencies due to unsuitability or reduced funding.
• Local councils in North Devon are paying around £40,000 annually in business rates for public toilets.
• The Bill provides 100% business rate relief for stand-alone public loos.
• Over 50% of public lavatories have closed in the past decade.
• Some councils now run no public loos at all.
• The government has provided councils with an extra £3.7 billion during the pandemic.
• There is a 4.4% real-terms rise in core spending power for local government finance settlement this year.
• A £30 million Changing Places fund will be launched to accelerate the provision of accessible facilities.
• The Bill will provide 100% relief from business rates for public lavatory facilities, supporting their continued operation.