The provision and maintenance of public toilets in Pembrokeshire – with 72 facilities – now has a strategic plan following a push by the Public Health Wales Act.

It required all local authorities to assess the need for toilets in their areas and sets out how these needs will be met, members of the policy and pre-decision overview and scrutiny committee were told.

At the meeting on Tuesday (March 19) councillors heard that Pembrokeshire had the second highest number of public toilets in the UK.

Cabinet member for environmental service Clr. Cris Tomos told members that a public consultation on toilet provision had received 450 response.

The strategy includes businesses owners opening up toilets for public use, as well as other facilities such as leisure centres.

Toilets are serviced by Danfo, a number of facilities are charged for, and include 52 with disabled facilities, one has an adult changing place facility and 19 have baby changing facilities.

Clr. Michelle Bateman welcomed the inclusion of baby changing in both male and female toilets while Clr. Huw George called for adult changing facilities to be included in future toilet developments.

A lack of hot water in Tenby’s paid for toilets was highlighted by Clr. Mike Evans as well as the status of improvements at Haverfordwest multi-story, raised by Clr. Tim Evans.

Clr. Evans added that more should be done to make other bodies take over toilets, saying he found it “incredulous” that the council maintained Manorbier toilet while another authority “takes the money for the car park.”

This also happened at a beach with 500 car parking spaces, he added.

Clr. Tomos said that discussions were under way with the National Trust and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park about the situation.