Portable toilets have not been installed on Margate seafront and at Botany Bay despite the expectation of a busy Easter weekend.
Last year the portable toilets were put in place at the end of March but that has not been repeated this year with Thanet council saying there are enough public toilets for “sufficient provision.”
Margate Central ward councillors Rob Yates and Helen Whitehead say extra provision is needed now.
Cllr Yates added: “Last year, the Labour-run Thanet District Council ensured that Portaloos were in place along Margate seafront over Easter.
“This Easter, with a Conservative-run administration, there will not be any. It is difficult to predict how serious this situation will be but based on how busy the beach was yesterday it is obvious that we need additional toilets now.
“As a Ward Councillor for Margate Central I am confident that the majority of Margate residents and businesses would rather be safe than sorry.
“We all remember seeing huge queues outside our toilets, tourists rudely walking into bars and restaurants needing to use the facilities, and the negative image this gives our town. In addition to this, the Thanet Easter Beer & Cider Festival is happening at Winter Gardens today (April 15) and tomorrow so there is likely to be higher demand than normal.
“My Labour colleagues and I will continue to push for the summer portaloos to be reinstated as soon as possible until such time as the Clocktower toilets can be replaced.”
Fifty extra bins have been put out in preparation for tourists coming to the isle and public toilets are open, other than those at the clocktower in Marine Drive which were shut in 2019 due to ‘structural problems’ and have remained closed ever since.
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Margate really will be a sh*t hole this Easter!
I dont think people would need to use the toilets so much if they stopped drinking copious amounts of alcohol on that beach. I saw cars pulling up on the pavement to empty out multiple crates of beer onto it last year. Do they need to be drunk to do everything?
Oh well they could always use the bins!perhaps include step ladders as well oh and seat.This is typical of TDC.I have just had a small walk round the harbour and pavements are dirty still sand everywhere from winter what is going on?
The toilets at the nayland rock are still open if people want to use the toilets use the ones in pubs and restaurants and cafes including the turner are councillors not noticing and residents that a movie is being made in Margate I went along there a couple of days ago the space in the photo is being used to hold vintage vehicles the ones on that day were 80s fire engines and cranes very large.it doesn’t help by calling the town a s_ _t hole it’s only three days is there local elections at the moment.
I’m sure pubs and restaurants and the Turner will welcome people walking in with sandy feet just to take a pee… NOT!
Why do be people end a sentence with the word not when the disagree with something. It just seems so primary school age to me!
Re. the final “not”- it’s rather passe, unless being used ironically, isn’t it?
Come on Brian. Have you ever owned a public house? I have and believe me it is infuriating if people continually come in, use the loo then leave without as much as a nodded thank you. What those people do not consider, and neither are you Brian, is that the pub will have to pay extra water rates which are already high. I once had a lady come into our pub who was in distress because her small child had thrown up in her car. She was polite and asked me if she could use the loo to get water for cleaning and, of course, because she was polite I said yes. I also went to get a bowl of hot water with disinfectant and cloths from the kitchen and helped her to clean her smelly car and then gave her a drink before waving her on her way. So I am not uncaring but I feel strongly that public houses should not have to pay extra water rates in order to make up for the faults of a council. Incidentally, in Westgate last year we had large commercial size bins capable of holding all the waste but this year we are back to a small household bin (note bin, not bins plural) to cater for all the extra waste there will be over Easter. No doubt the inevitable overflow will then be collected by the ever caring volunteers because you can be sure the council won’t pick it all up. Because the council will take more notice of her than me I have written to our council leader and asked her to speak to them about it. She is a gem and does far more than she should and much of what she does is as a volunteer. The council should get itself organised and think ahead. It isn’t rocket science, it’s common sense.
The current council leader used to me one of my local cllrs whenn I lived in Westbrook, and she never even responded when I politely told her about all the rubbish in the alley way near Margate Station (unlike the other cllr Mick Tomlinson). Perhaps she’s changed since then?
Why do people think politics is like a football club?!? You shouldn’t just support a party no matter what they do. Tory apologists always pop up and defend whatever they do. It’s so strange. Get your own opinions and don’t just pull the party line and vote blindly. I’ve voted for all the main parties in my life. As at different times it’s been the right thing to do.
The Tories have lost their way and it’s a shambles. Both at local and central they have been arrogant and lazy. A PR machine with little substance. We deserve better.
Demand better. This is a tiny decision in itself but these bad decisions have snowballed into issues all over kent.
Surely these are basically officer-led operational decisions rather than politically-led policy decisions ?
Either way – whoever thought it was prudent to firstly fail to carry out the repairs to the Clocktower toilets for three years – and now to not install replacement temporary toilets where they have been deemed necessary in the past ?
Are we now attracting a different type of visitor to Margate that have significantly enlarged bladders ?
Is this all part of Margate’s new vision where there are queues of 40 people waiting outside the other set of toilets near Nayland Rock ? When this happened three or four years ago, the beach, the promenade, Arlington car park and Dreamland car park were all being used as outdoor toileting areas.
Is this TDC’s new policy ?
All the porta loos are down the port of Ramsgate with our traveler’s, which we are paying for , nothing for the local people , typical TDC
Do you know you sound like a racist?
Only telling the truth, or don’t you like that
Yes thats correct, tdc put the travellers up at the port but the travellers say their human rights have been violated regarding the conditions and treatment of families who have been living at the port since the end of last May. Hopefully tdc have acted correctly and will not get sued by the travellers.
Loos,sorry they are engaged.
I don’t think there are any toilet facilities at Botany bay.
Yes there are, same as Joss Bay (not open in the winter though!).
1 men’s urinal Peter. As usual you know nothing about anything other than your tory filled village pubs. Keep it up old boy, your true colours come shining through.
Last time I checked, a urinal in a room = a public toilet, but I guess you probably use a bucket in a shed (as for my drinking/eating habits. I’m just as likely to be found in a left-leaning arty Margate cafe as long as the quality is good!).
… and Botany Bay is still better than Beresford Gap, where the toilets have been nailed shut for decades (it’s a long walk along the coast from Westgate to Minnis Bay with no loos!).
I wish all local councils could be independent and not political. Surely every local councillor should be working for the benefit of the local community. As for the lack of public toilets in Thanet – it is a DISGRACE. It’s not a recent problem, but been ongoing for a few years. Rather than spend the £300K for a report on the future of the Winter Gardens, some of that should be used to refurbish the Margate toilets near the Clock Tower. When I was a kid it was 1d in the slot and when it was busy, people just held the door open for the next person!! I think all public toilets should have a fee towards the running costs. I certainly wouldn’t object to 10p each time. So Margate Town Deal committee and TDC – start working together and decide what is best for the town – apart from art and the huge support to Dreamland. Toilets benefit everyone, year round and should be a priority. Even more important than refurbished council offices!
No offence to those in other areas of Thanet, but as I am a Margatonian, I can on comment on the area I know.
… I can only comment on…..
How difficult can it be to pick up the phone/email and place an order for ‘x’ amount of portable loo’s ?
They cant be that expensive just take some money from the ‘defending bullying claims budget’
Quote “. In addition to this, the Thanet Easter Beer & Cider Festival is happening at Winter Gardens today (April 15) and tomorrow so there is likely to be higher demand than normal.”
Why would lack of loos for the beach impact the Winter Gardens ? Arent the winter gardens toilets working ?
People walk home or go to bus stops/train station from there.
In local government it tends to be the case that policy and operations are controlled and run by its officers. The party political councillors have very little say in the matter. They certainly do not have the necessary expertise and often, but not always, view their position as Councillor as a stepping zone to greater political things.
Margate has a multi million pound film being filmed in margate at the moment.
Film go’ers might want to visit the place where it was filmed.
They are going to be in for a shock.
I’m not convinced that even the film is going to show Margate in the best light. Have you seen the corrugated iron and peeling posters over the (fake) boarded-up shops?
Not you Martha Reeves, obviously.
My name (in English) is Marva Rees. I do not understand how people can get it wrong.
I dont think the portaloos are a good look to be honest
Me neither, but it’s probably preferable to p*ssing on the streets.
I always thought it ridiculous that they concreted over the toilets at the Birchington end of Minnis Bay, and since then they’ve put portaloos there every summer!
Neither are people peeing & defecating in the streets, but maybe TDC want human waste levels on the street to match those the local dogs & their scummy owners provide.
We have people defectating at the back of our property, which is worse during Bank Holidays due to the lack of public toilets. We have cab drivers, and people going for a wee and even having a poo 💩 I have even had to shout at women pulling tampons out after stripping off their swimming gear completely naked to go to the toilet in front of my child’s window. When confronted the people have been so rude even though I’m sure their reaction would be the same if it was at the back of their place. If more portal loos are set up then it would save us so much stress.
Let’s not pretend a red TDC is a Shangri-la existence. This ‘vote left and everything will be perfect’ is nonsense. Rick appears to support the terrible leadership team at TDC and he appears to benignly support the cargo hub too. Ramsgate doesn’t need that kind of Labour.
What happened to the promised “review of public toilets” when Labour was in charge ? Labour kept kicking it into the long grass and not bothering with it so don’t blame other Parties due your total lack of action when you had the ruling majority.
If anyone wants their memory of this jogged then check out the Labour Cabinet meeting of 19th November 2020 promising a full review of toilets by March 2021 (that they couldn’t then be bothered with)
Shock horror, Councillors Yates and Whitehead were at this meeting and voted for it.
A basic human need. It’s a bloody joke. Embarrassing for the area. It’s very sad 😔
Presumably TDC think urine stained walls and pooh behind beech huts is some kind of attraction that will bring the tourists will be flocking in, maybe the Turner could put on an art instalation of collected dried pooh
Tipical, local council do there hardest to kill the little attraction Margate has to offer the holiday trade. Next they’re sale Mansion airport off for and eye watering sum of One pound.
I don’t think Manston Airport was ever TDC’s to sell.
Absolute joke Margate toilets are so vial rather pee on street,can’t believe facilities are so poor. If you have go you got to do why when you want bring more people into town are the facilities so poor,don’t get it
Not that it is an airport, of course! Just a brownfield site, not being used.
A bit like Ramsgate High Street.
You clearly have never visited. Smith’s, Boots, Post Office, Santander, cafes, pubs, newspaper shops, jewellers….not exactly an unused brownfield site.
Not as nice as Llandudno.
What has Llandudno got to do with it?? Ramsgate is slowly on the up, harbour st greatly improved and I see some of the empty units in the High St are starting to be used. If I had my way I would buldoze WWX and and build houses then offer incentives to businesses that want to use the towm centres (as it used to be) And I am talking of the 3 main towns. But having said that we do need public loos.
Not as nice as Broadstairs either, which never has closed shops for long. Ditto Birchington.
Also Herne Bay, which still has TWO branches of Busy B’s (last time I saw the old Ramsgate store it looked like it was falling down!).
Ramsgate Harbour is lovely, but every time I visit Ramsgate High Street I’m appalled.
I too think Westwood Cross (the shopping part) should be totally destroyed.
You also think cars should be banned. Enough said.
Yes, private cars should be banned , confiscated and then recycled into vehicles for public transport .
Or melted down and made into aeroplanes.
Ramsgate is NOT a brownfield site it is slowly on the up,and without WWX it would be very busy
Today we walked 6 miles from Herne Bay seafront to Whitstable harbour, and encountered no less than 6 public toilets. They were largely very clean too, and there was very little rubbish.
We have a problem in Thanet, we pay mega bucks to senior Council officers, who fail to provide services that residents and visitors to the area need and should be able to rely on. We have had successive administrations at Cecil Square, all of who daren’t say boo to the senior executives several of who enjoy pay packets equivalent to senior government ministers, doesn’t the CEO get paid as much as the Prime Minister ? While there isn’t money to pay to fix the public loos ! Rather than moaning Yates should have addressed the issue of the Margate Sands toilets when he was in the controlling Labour group, unfortunately for Margate residents he has been a failure as a councillor ineffective, but now we have an equally useless Conservative administration in Cecil Square that fails the whole of Thanet.
Loads of tortoises will also be curious to witness Margate’s beach areas this summer. A nod to biodiversity!
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