PARISH and town councils across West Devon will still have to shoulder the financial burden of their public loos from next April, after a councillor’s attempt to have the ‘deeply flawed’ decision overturned was overruled.

Cllr Terry Pearce told West Devon Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday that he wanted to see the decision taken by the council’s hub committee meeting on October 16 referred back to the full council for ‘a proper debate’.

He said that Brentor, which he represents as both a borough and parish councillor, had no idea that they were going to be expected to shoulder 75% of the cost of their public toilets from next April, rising to the full cost three year later.

‘I think the process has been deeply flawed,’ he said. ‘We were looking at bringing in a charge, and I am fully aware that we need to cover the costs of the toilets, but the way this has been handled has been diabolical.’

He said members of Brentor Parish Council had met with council officers and Cllr Robert Sampson, the council’s environment lead, in charge of the process of finding £50,000 of savings from the public toilets budget across the borough from 2019/20. However he said, at no point was the 75% figure discussed, until it was voted through by the hub committee on October 16.

‘I attended that meeting and that was the first I knew that Brentor Parish Council was going to be expected to take on the full cost by the end of the next council,’ he said.

‘The response I’ve had from other members of Brentor Parish Council is that they had no indication that this was going to happen.’

He said the situation had left the parish council unwilling to take on the toilets.

‘A third of the parish council’s precept will go on this. Brentor has no benefit from the visitors and the toilets are just for them.

‘I want the decision to be sent to full council so we can have a proper debate. It is a decision that has been made by someone, brought to the hub meeting on October 16, so I want to know why that decision was made and who was responsible for it.’

Criticisms were also raised by Cllrs John Sheldon and Jeff Moody. Cllr Moody said: ‘It seems to me that I have been sidelined in the process and I’m sure that members feel as I do. At no point has it every gone back to full council so members can discuss it.’

Committee chair Cllr Julie Yelland asked Cllr Sampson whether the 75% figure was raised with the parish councils he and the officers met with. ‘It was certainly raised at some meetings I went to,’ he said.

Ric Cheadle, who represents Buckland Monachorum, said he had attended the meeting held between West Devon councillors and Buckland Monachorum Parish Council.

‘At no stage was 75% discussed, it was all completely general. The next thing we got was a letter setting out the figure of 75% so I think that is where the bump in the road has occurred,’ he said.

Cllr Sampson said the proposal had been presented to the hub committee meeting because ‘we had to get on with it’. Parish and town councils would be setting their parish precepts over the coming weeks and would need to take the costs of the toilets into account.

‘At the meeting we held with Brentor, they were amenable to considering a contribution towards the toilets. I’m sorry if that is no longer the case,’ he said. ‘I don’t think there was a case, as Cllr Pearce puts it, to bypass the council. It was felt appropriate to deal with it at the October hub meeting. Our brief was to save £50,000 with no further guidance as to how that could be achieved.’

Cllr Bob Baldwin challenged members to come up with an alternative plan.

‘I haven’t heard any alternative as to how we could save the £50,000 from our budget. It is regrettable but we are facing a budget crisis and we have to do something. If there are alternatives, let’s hear them.’

Councillors voted 13 for to one against to go ahead with handing over the toilets as planned. This means that parish and town councils face paying for the full costs of their toilets or see them close down from next April.

In tourist areas, such as Lydford and Princetown and Brentor, this has caused considerable concern, with councillors representing the area pointing out that only a few people will be shouldering the costs of a tourist facility.