Have your views on Public Loos

What you told us

In Summer 2025, we asked for your views on public toilets across Aberdeenshire. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their feedback. Last year, we published a summary of what we heard and explained that your feedback was helping to shape a refreshed Public Convenience Strategy. At that stage, the strategy was still being considered and we were not yet in a position to share the full details. Since then, the strategy has been approved, and we can now provide a further update on how your feedback has influenced our plans for the future. The key messages from the survey were:

  • Overall satisfaction with cleanliness was positive, with 86% of respondents rating facilities as excellent, good or fair
  • Public toilets are viewed as essential for people of all ages and play an important role in supporting tourism and the local economy
  • There was a fairly even split of opinion on whether moving to one public convenience per town would be acceptable
  • Many people said they would be negatively affected by any public toilet closures
  • You told us that cleaning should reflect levels of use, with flexibility for seasonal demand and local events
  • There was a strong preference for public toilets to remain free to use
  • Some respondents would like to see more facilities open 24 hours a day

What we're doing

The feedback from the Have Your Views on Public Loos Survey was a key driver in refreshing the updated Public Convenience Strategy. The strategy was approved by Aberdeenshire Councils Business Services Committee in March 2026 and will run until 2030. Aberdeenshire Council provides public toilets as a non-statutory but essential service and is the second highest provider of public toilets in Scotland.

The updated Public Convenience Strategy looks to provide efficient service delivery, high standards and financial sustainability. To achieve this the strategy aims to deliver safe clean accessible facilities using a place-based approach by:

  • Maintaining cleanliness and safety standards
  • Improving signage and digital mapping
  • Increasing operational efficiency, rather than close toilets
  • Expanding community run and comfort partnership models
  • Provide 24/7 access at selected sites

Within the strategy it is recognised that public toilet provision is essential for dignity, health tourism, and inclusion. To that end the Public Convenience Strategy looks to:

  • Maintain as many toilets as possible
  • Adjust cleaning frequency, based on usage
  • Carryout quality audits of all council provided toilets three times a year
  • Seek external funding and align with other strategies

Within the survey the option was expressed that facilities should be open 24/7.

  • 24/7 access is now provided at low-risk sites to improve accessibility to toilets
  • Sign posting to toilets to be considered and improved

The survey suggested that there were not enough toilet facilities available. The new refreshed strategy will look to:

  • Assess the suitability of council buildings to be advertised as publicly available toilets
  • Improve promotion and signage of comfort partnerships and other Aberdeenshire facilities where there is a need for additional or improved access to facilities
  • Continue to review incentives for business participation in the comfort partnership scheme and for communities to take on community run ventures.

There was a strong preference indicated in the survey for public conveniences to remain free of charge. If charging were to be introduced, the feedback was that both cashless and card/contactless options would be required.

  • The strategy has recommended that toilets remain free of charge at the point of use. However other means of generating income such as donation boxes will be explored.

Following on from other findings from the survey the strategy includes the following recommendations:

  • Expand changing places toilets
  • Introduce automated locking systems
  • Repurpose or transfer closed facilities

In summary with your help and input the Public Convenience Strategy places its core strategic direction to 2030 and beyond around:

  • Focusing on maintaining services rather than closing facilities
  • Using alternative delivery models (community and partnerships)
  • Improving efficiency instead of reducing coverage
  • Balancing cost control with public need

You can view the full document here: Public Convenience Strategy - Aberdeenshire Council

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