LAUNCESTON Town Council is calling upon Cornwall Council to exempt all public toilets from business rates.

The Post reported last month that formal proposals had come forward in the Local Government Finance Bill that would give local authorities the power to waive business rates under their discretion on public toilets.

While this was welcomed by North Cornwall Conservative MP Scott Mann, the Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for Launceston North and North Petherwin, Adam Paynter, who is also the local authority’s deputy leader, expressed his ‘disappointment’.

Cllr Paynter said in February: “While we welcome the government’s decision to give local councils the powers to award discretionary relief from April 2018 under the Local Government Finance Bill, we are disappointed that there is no mention of additional money for councils which take up these powers. Applying these powers to the public toilets that are the responsibility of town and parish councils in Cornwall would create a £156,000 funding shortfall for the council. If the powers were applied to all public toilets in Cornwall, the shortfall would increase to around £250,000.”

At the recent town council meeting, Cllr John Conway said: “It was my proposal put forward. From April next year the government has authorised Cornwall Council or that tier of government to exempt public toilets from business rates and I believe every public toilet in Cornwall should be exempted. It’s totally wrong we provide a free service to the community we should have to pay tax on it.”

Cllr Paul O’Brien said: “It should have been scrapped many years ago. Hallelujah for the proposal.”

The proposal was passed unanimously.

Cllr Paynter said on the decision: “The government has made the changes for next year so it will be up to the new council to decide if it wants to exempt public toilets. At present central government say that they will not compensate councils, which is the wrong decision. We will continue to lobby government to cover the costs.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council added: “Cornwall Council has previously made representations to Central Government regarding what it considers to be an unfair burden of charging business rates on public conveniences. Whilst recognising the powers to award discretionary relief from April 2018 under the Local Government Finance Bill, if applied to those public conveniences that are the responsibility of Town and Parish Councils it would create a funding shortfall to the Council of around £0.156m.

“If applied to all Public Conveniences, the shortfall would increase to around £0.250m.We have previously written to Central Government requesting that local authorities should be compensated for any such funding shortfall, as has been done previously with other business rate relief measures but we have yet to receive any confirmation that this will happen.”

Mr Mann said in response to the council’s decision: “I think it’s absolutely right that local councils ask for full business rate relief on public toilets and I would urge all other councils to do the same. I’ve continually pressed the Government to introduce this for public toilets and thankfully there is legislation now coming forward which will give local billing authorities the discretion to exempt toilets from business rates.

“As this is discretionary, though, I have laid down an amendment to the Local Government Finance Bill which would give all public toilets a mandatory exemption. This means they would be automatically exempt and could not have any rates levied on them by the billing authority.

“The amendment has backing from many backbench MPs and it will hopefully be debated in the near future. I’m now in the process of lobbying the government to get their support as well.”