People in Rye and Pett will benefit from additional toilet facilities this summer thanks to councils working in close partnership.

Two toilets in Rye and one at Pett in Rother are being reopened for the summer season.   Rye Town Council and Pett Parish Council will take over the management of these facilities after agreement was reached with Rother District Council.

The Strand toilet in Rye and one at Pett are now open, and Gun Gardens in Rye should be open by the end of this month. These additional conveniences will be available for the summer season which ends on Sunday, October 6.

Cllr Hazel Timpe, the district council’s portfolio holder for neighbourhood services, said: “I’m delighted that residents and visitors to Rye and Pett will now have these facilities available to them throughout the summer months.

“I would like to thank both Rye Town Council and Pett Parish Council for working with us to take on the management of these conveniences during this period.

“In addition, the council is pleased that Bexhill-on-Sea Town Council has taken over all future responsibility and management of Devonshire Square toilets in Bexhill, enabling these facilities to reopen to the public.”

Like many councils across the UK, Rother District Council faces a large budget shortfall for 2024/25. For that reason, the council took the difficult decision last year to close some of its toilets across the district.

For many months the authority has been in discussion with a number of town and parish councils to see if they could take over the management of these conveniences. Once the summer season ends the town and parish councils will decide if they wish to keep these additional facilities open or close them for the winter period.

For a full list of public conveniences available across the district please visit www.rother.gov.uk/transport-roads-and-parking/street-care-and-cleaning/public-toilets/

Ends.

Published: 31st July 2024