Public Conveniences
Lower High Street

22nd June 2007 - reopened!

Portaloos
Mural by Ann Harker, flowers by Upton in Bloom

Final Results of the vote on MHDC closing the toilets

22nd June Malvern Gazette article
Reopening Ceremony
21st June, Reopening Invitation
19th June, Statement from Peter Webb, UTTA
14th June, Statement from MHDC
12th June
4th June - Activity!
25th May Malvern Gazette article
MHDC Executive Committee 22nd May Minutes
MHDC Executive Committee Agenda 22nd May
18th May Malvern Gazette article
11th May Malvern Gazette article & Opinion
4th March 2007 - the newly elected Conservative group on MHDC will be opening the toilets soon!
3rd March rally
21st February News Update on the Upton Toilets	16th February Malvern Gazette article
	1st February Worcester News article
	11th January Malvern Gazette article
	5th January Malvern Gazette article & Opinion
	9th January Public Meeting notes
	9th January 2007 Public Meeting Notice
	Gloucestershire Echo, 4th September
	Public Rally, 2nd September
Letter to festival organisers & Town Council from MHDC	Speech by Phil Woolas MP at a seminar hosted by the British Toilet Association (BTA) and Keep Britain Tidy campaign (ENCAMS) on 19 July 2006
Letter to correspondents from S Adeney, 7th April, which went on public view week commencing 15th May	Article in the Malvern Gazette, 19th May
	Letters in the Malvern Gazette, 12th May
Minutes of 3rd April meeting - received 2nd May	Article in the Malvern Gazette, 5th May
Unbelievable? The tale of 3 loos, 28th April	Letter in the Birmingham Post, 21st April
	Letter in the Worcester News, 13th April
Problem solved?	Articles and letters, the Malvern Gazette 7th April
	Press release, Malvern Town Council Chairman, 4th April
	Article and letters, the Malvern Gazette, 31st March
Agenda for 3rd April MHDC Special Council Meeting	Article, letters & Opinion in the Malvern Gazette, 24th March
	Article in the Worcester News, 21st March
	Article & letters in the Malvern Gazette, 17th March
An extract from West Worcestershire Liberal Democrats Malvern Hills District Council Group - added 8th March	Article in the Malvern Gazette, 10th March
	Email received 8th March
	Boarded up - 7th March
28th February - how District Councillors voted	Challenge to District Councillors
	Posters & notices - updated 6th March
Executive Committee 21st February	UTTA address to MHDC
	Upton's Mayor address to MHDC
	Chris Mair's address to MHDC - added 6th March
Surveyor's report on the toilets	Article in the Malvern Gazette, 3rd March
	Letter in the Malvern Gazette, 3rd March
British Toilet Association - added 9th March	Picture of the Malvern Gazette article, 3rd March
	Letter in the Malvern Gazette, 28/10/05 - added 9th March

25th May
A letter sent to all festival organisers from Ivor Pumfrey, head of environmental services at MHDC is on public view in the same window in High Street.  The letter states that MHDC will not be opening the loos, nor providing any more portaloos and that festival organisers must provide their own.  The last paragraph of the letter is rather interesting: "We are aware that the majority of festival organisers already make provision for lavatories for festival goers".  The organisers may provide lavatories, but not in the town centre.  They have never provided them in the town centre - there has been no need because the public conveniences were open. Water Festival is a free festival which relies totally on fundraising and sponsorship.  Every year is a struggle to raise sufficient money.  And now MHDC have made it even more difficult.

18th May
A couple of letters from District Councillor Sue Adeney to her correspondents have gone on show in windows in the High Street & Bridge House. My opinion, and that of many people to whom I have spoken, is that Mrs Adeney's position is sheer hypocrisy, given that she voted to close the toilets, voted against the motion to rescind the closure, and now wants to help the Town Council. The closures can be laid at her door with her vote to close them. I've added one of the letters from her to people who wrote to her before the 2nd meeting. Notable is the comment about the loos being opened for festivals which flys in the face of correspondence from the head of environmental services Ivor Pumphrey to festival organisers that they will not be opened.

4th April
I attended the meeting of MHDC last night.  Kevin Douglas, Strategic Director Council Governance, said that in all his time in the council, this was the first time a motion for rescinding a decision of the council had been made. Members of Town Councils, trade associations and the public spoke beforehand. I was not impressed at the sight of one of 'our leaders' on the podium chewing gum and doodling throughout the meeting.  There was to be 'no whip', but cynical members of the public expressed their disbelief at this statement.

A very poor presentation was made by Roger Sutton, (Independents (Group Leader)) - who also happens to be Chairman of Upton Jazz Association! The public were admonished by Chairman Val Myatt for making comments during the discussions by councillors.

Several councillors asked about amendments to the proposal and were told there weren't any.

Councillors voted by name, with the first being Sue Adeney.  She sat for about a minute before voting against the proposal.  The final result was 19 against and 17 for the proposal.  I don't know the political split but no doubt the Lib Dem/Independent/Green group made sure they won the vote.

Following the vote, a proposal was made that the Town Councils should go away and discuss how to go forward and come back with proposals within 6 months. This was agreed on a show of hands.

Murmurings of 'gerrymandering' were heard both in the hall and outside after the meeting.

3rd April
MHDC tonight refused to rescind the decision taken at their last meeting to close public conveniences in Upton, Tenbury & Malvern Town.  The vote was 19-17.  Our esteemed district councillor Sue Adeney (Lib Dem) again voted against the wishes of her electorate.

30th March
A link to the agenda for the Special Council Meeting on 3rd April has been added.

26th March
An article, letters and opinion from the Malvern Gazette, 24th March have been added.

17th March
District Coun Mary Wilkinson has gained enough support to force a review of the decision to shut the toilets at a special council meeting on April 3, 7pm Priory Lodge House.

9th March
The British Toilet Association is a campaigning association and have their own website, for which I've added a link above.

I've added a letter, published in the Malvern Gazette in October last year, which questions MHDC's top management in relation to the number of loos in the district!

6th March
Upton has less than 3,000 electors, on which the town precept is set. Yet all the outlying visitors use our library, our school, our shops, and so on. With our festivals we bring many visitors into the District, who also visit their villages. It has always been Upton's problem that we support so many more people than ourselves - for instance, the doctors have between 10-12,000 patients from their catchment area!

4th March
Quite a few Upton Town Councillors, members of the UTTA and the public, and a photographer from the Malvern Gazette attended at 10am.  A lady on crutches, a small child and a wheelchair were ready to demonstrate how long it would take them to go to Hanley Road.  However, other than Mary Wilkinson, our loyal District Councillor, no District Councillors attended.  Peter received two replies to his invitation, which can be seen on 'Challenge to District Councillors'

3rd March
Peter Webb, Vice-Chairman of Upton Tourism & Trade Association has written to District Councillors reminding them that he said at the council meeting, "I invite each of you to come to The Lower High Street on Saturday 4th March and we will provide one Councillor with a wheelchair or a set of crutches or a small child. You are to make your way unaided to the Hanley Road Toilets, and then see if you agree that they provide suitable facilities for a busy town!!"  The time is 10am and the Malvern Gazette will be there to record the event!

If you want to discuss the closure and suggest ideas for what we can do about it, I opened a discussion on the Community Pride site - a link under 'Recent Additions' and select the Bulletin Board.  Registration is required but easy to do!

I've added a poll asking about whether or not MHDC should have closed the toilets in Upton, Tenbury & Malvern.  You can take part by clicking the link above.

2nd March
Following yesterday's 'Temporary closure' of the public conveniences, there is now a 'Closed' notice.  I was only there long enough to take a picture but several people went to use the toilets while I was there!  I hope those MHDC councillors who voted to close them are really proud of themselves.

1st March
More news on the toilets - 'The controlling group had a whip on their members. Upton councillor Sue Adeney voted to close the toilets. Mary Wilkinson, as expected, voted to retain them.'  So much for Cllr Adeney representing her constituents! Personally I don't care about the whip - Cllr Adeney is there to represent Upton and went against the wishes of her electorate.

MHDC discussed the public conveniences closures last night.  I've heard from two people who were there, 'We lost 17 votes for 17 votes against including the Chairwoman. Council solicitor advised that convention said the status quo should stay but if she really wanted that the Chairwoman could exercise her extra vote as a casting vote, she chose to do so! To the noisily expressed disgust of the full public gallery.'

22nd February
MHDC are meeting next Tuesday to consider a recommendation by the Executive Committee to close the toilets in Lower High Street.  As I am sure you know, these toilets are used throughout the year, and during our festivals.

If you would like to attend the meeting and speak out on behalf of your organisation or as a resident, you need to write to kevin.douglas@malvernhills.gov.uk as soon as you can, saying something like:

"I should like to speak at the Council meeting on Tuesday next (28th February) to Agenda item 8(ii) - Public Convenience Programme - in particular the proposed closure of the W.C. in Lower High Street, Upton on Severn. I shall be speaking [on behalf of xxxxxxxxxxx] [as a resident of Upton upon Severn]"

16th February
Malvern Hills District Council appear to being going to go ahead and close the public lavatory in Lower High Street at the end of the month.  They can propose to build new offices for themselves costing £6.5m, refurbish their own toilets in the council house (£75k), and also be awarded a better settlement from the Government but cannot afford to keep Upton and Tenbury loos open.  So much for them helping us attracting tourists. Let them not forget those who elected them in can also vote them out...

Public Conveniences Lower High Street

Final Results of the vote on MHDC closing the toilets

Public Conveniences
Lower High Street