Highland Council Public Conveniences and Comfort Scheme Agreements 2023 - 2026

24th May 2023

It often comes as a surprise to people that the Council does not have a statutory responsibility to provide or operate Public Conveniences. The latest report discussed at the Communities and Places committee of Highland council today 24 May 2023.

The Council provides Comfort Scheme agreements with businesses and community groups. These agreements are aimed at meeting demand in areas that are not served by Council run facilities and they are the most cost-effective way to increase provision. There are 4 levels of payment (£50, £100, £200, or £300 per month), and these are dependent on the quality of the facilities offered.

The Council currently operates 76 Public Conveniences throughout the Highlands and had 42 Comfort Scheme agreements with local businesses and Community Groups. The budget for this service for this Financial Year is £920,000.

The cost of the 42 Agreements was £107,100 per annum. A small number of changes were introduced and the necessary consultation with providers took place.

A critical analysis of the Amenities budget, and minor amendments to some scheme providers has enabled us to expand the scheme to include additional sites that were previously funded through the Visitor Management Fund and enables us to provide a service to areas identified as ‘hot spots' and are reported at section 5.2 at an overall cost of £19,800 per annum.

As part of the £1.5 million visitor management investment strategy the Highland Council committed £190,000 in 2022/23 for investment in public toilet provision. Of this funding £32,400 was used to provide an additional 17 temporary Comfort Schemes in the Highlands where there was no other local provision for public toilets

Read the full report that shows where al the schemes are located