COUNCIL officers have held talks with a company to consider the privatisation of the authority’s public toilets, it can be revealed.

The unnamed business is being consulted after councillors voted to launch a procurement exercise in June this year, to identify potential third party partners who would oversee the design and maintenance of the toilets.

A report outlining the findings of the procurement exercise is due to go before Scottish Borders councillors at the end of this month, which may recommend closing toilets, refurbishment works, changes to the current charging regime, or a mix of all three.

At a meeting of the Teviot and Liddesdale action partnership on Tuesday (November 13), councillors were asked to update the public on the privatisation proposals.

Chris Nicol, a representative from Denholm Community Council, asked Scottish Borders councillors: “Has the council made any decision as to whether they are going to abandon the public toilets in our villages?

“A number of times I have been to a toilet and it just will not take the money.

“It happened to me getting off the train, and I had to wait for the bus to come and take me home. They really need to look at something.

“I don’t mind paying, but I can’t travel by bus if I know the toilets won’t be operational. I have to now go up to Hawick and get the train. There’s a lot of us in that situation.”

Councillor George Turnbull (Cons, Hawick & Hermitage), who serves as the ruling administration’s executive member for finance, replied: “My understanding is that it is one of the many items which will be coming before the council meeting towards the end of November, because I know the council have been in discussion with a private company.

“I think they’ve been looking at every facility which is still open at this present time.

“In the report that is to come before the council there will be recommendations of different levels: some may be closed, some may be refurbished, the charging system might change, but I’ve not been privy to the draft report.”

The decision to look into privatising the toilets followed a damning report put to the council in June that showed the decision to charge for using public toilets had netted just a third of the income that Scottish Borders Council had hoped for.

The current 30p charge for using 27 of the council’s public toilets in the Borders was agreed by a full council meeting in February, following a report in which officers assured members that charging for toilet provision would generate an income of £280,000 a year.

However, the report put to councillors in June estimated that the total yearly income would be just £89,000.

That analysis, put forth by neighbourhood services manager Jason Hedley, relied on anecdotal evidence to explain the shortcomings in income generation.

He wrote: “What is apparent from financial monitoring is that revenue income received to date is significantly less than the estimated levels that were forecast.

“A revised full year of income of £89,000 is now being estimated, a shortfall of some £179,000 which in turn was expected to also cover the cost of the implementation of comfort schemes.

“A significant body of anecdotal evidence around payment avoidance has been received and observed, including from elected members.

“This centres around tailgating (following the previous paying entrant into the facility), the ‘good Samaritan’ (people exiting the facility allowing free access by holding the entry door open), families paying one fee for multiple usage or antisocial behaviour, where people vandalise doors or wedge them open, allowing free access to all.”

A full meeting of Scottish Borders Council will be held on Thursday, November 29, when councillors are expected to receive a report on the procurement exercise and receive recommendations from council officers on the next course of action for the region’s public toilets.