Cafe loos to go public

Saddleworth Parish Council

Three as-yet-unnamed premises have been selected to take part in a trial scheme which encourages pubs and cafes to open their toilets to the public for free.

The initiative will help tourists faced with a lack of public loos across villages.

The businesses involved will receive between £600 and £1,000 annually, paid quarterly in advance, based on their opening hours, access for the disabled and baby-changing facilities.

Parish councillor Royce Franklin, who outlined the scheme, said funds had been earmarked for the project and window stickers will show the public facilities available.

Praising the scheme, parish councillor John Hudson said: “I am delighted the scheme has got off the ground.

“We must ensure each district has this facility.

“It is excellent we are addressing these problems.”

And he quipped, among laughter: “Every time we spend a penny we will think of Royce Franklin!”


Council wants modern look

Councillors went high-tech in a debate lasting more than an hour over problems in selecting a new parish council logo and the council’s out-of-date website.

When a series of new designs for the logo were shown to members, one councillor said: “We are better staying with what we’ve got.”

The meeting was told by Councillor Bill Cullen the present logo presented technical difficulties in reproduction.

While accepting they were a quality parish council, others stressed costs could easily spiral upwards and it was decided to ‘smarten up’ the existing one.

On issues around the website, the meeting agreed to ask graphic designers to prepare a presentation before committing to any cost.