Adapted from BMJ 2-9 May 2026
The number of public toilets in England has fallen by 14% in a decade. There are now 15,481 people for each public toilet in England. Let’s hope they all don’t want to go at the same time!
In Scotland the level is 8,500 people per toilet and in Wales it is 6,748.
The shortage is causing people to have to urinate in public, according to the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH). They say, “Access to a public toilet can be the difference at to whether someone can comfortably leave their house. For others, they can only go out if they deliberately reduce fluid intake.”
Whether councils provide public toilets or not is discretionary. Their funding power has dropped by 26% since 2010 and this has affected spending on public toilets. My comment: In my own area there has been a noticeable drop in activities for young people, libraries, and community hubs for people of all ages matched by increased expenditure on home care for the elderly.
The RSHP wants adequate toilet facilities to be funded centrally. They also want developers to include public toilets when they build non-residential buildings. They say, “We need to give local authorities the resources they need to provide the facilities we all rely on.”
My comment: People who have diabetes or other disabilities can obtain a key to unlock public toilets under the RADAR scheme. These are big blue keys and they cost £7.50. You register for one of them online. Google RADAR. One problem is that there are not that many toilets that are available under the scheme. An App that helps is Where is Public Toilet. This covers most of the world. It’s best to look for available toilets before you leave your home or hotel. Most places that serve food and drink provide toilets and they may let you use their facilities if you pay them, even if you are not a customer.
Diabetes Diet 