The public conveniences in the George Lane car park, Marlborough (15000/1)TOWN councillors have said that while they will accept the closure of one of the public lavatories in Marlborough, they will fight to keep the other two.

They have voted to oppose any move by Kennet District Council to close the toilets in the basement of the town hall.

These are the oldest of the three conveniences but councillors say toilets in this location must stay.

Mayor Graham Francis said he had represented the town council at a seminar on public conveniences organised by the district council.

He said Kennet was responsible for 13 conveniences, three in Marlborough, four in Devizes and those in villages including Aldbourne, Ludgershall, Ramsbury, Tidworth and Upavon.

He said while district councils did not have a statutory duty to provide public conveniences they had inherited most from the former rural district and borough councils.

A Kennet review showed there were too many public toilets and most were largely under used. With the exception of recently refurbished toilets at Ramsbury all the others in the villages were not up to modern environmental health standards.

In a survey conducted by the council 41 per cent of those questioned would prefer to use toilets manned by attendants.

Coun Francis said Kennet officers recognised that all the existing public toilets, except the refurbished one on the Green in Devizes, should be closed with modern facilities built in Marlborough and Devizes which would be "clinically acceptable and attended".

Instead of having toilets cleaned just twice a day the report recommends the new toilets would have attendants and would be cleaned throughout the day.

He said parish and town councils could negotiate to take over the existing toilets, but the toilets in Chantry Lane, Marlborough, would be closed because they were sub standard.

Kennet is also proposing to close the toilets in the town hall basement unless the town council wanted to take them over.

New state of the art lavatories would be provided in the George Lane car park.

Coun Peggy Dow said she could not see the point of Kennet proposing new toilets in the George Lane car park when public conveniences were included in the plans for the town's proposed Riverbank theatre/cinema.

She said it would be better if the district council provided new toilets either at the town hall or Chantry Lane .

Coun Maurice Cooper said a lot of people used the toilets at the town hall or Chantry Lane but did not even know there were conveniences in the George Lane car park.

Coun David Parker said: "We should retain the town hall toilets because they are well used by market traders and shoppers, perhaps on a reduced basis, say from 8am to 5pm."

Coun Francis said: "I understand there is no way Kennet would take on a second set of public conveniences in Marlborough and it would be up to the town council to take the town hall toilets on and maintain them."

Coun Stewart Dobson, town council finance chairman, said: "I would sincerely hope this council would not consider taking on the town hall toilets as they would cost too much to run."

After a lengthy discussion councillors voted eight to five to negotiate with Kennet for the town hall toilets to remain open as well as those in George Lane car park.