When cafes etc open on 12 April, will toilets be open?

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Anyone know what the rules around this are?

I'm thinking of places like Costa etc that currently serve take-away only. They aren't allowed (or don't want to) open their toilets at the moment. But from the 12th, they'll be allowed to open outdoor tables. And also all the non-essential shops will be open. Usually if I go into town to do some shopping, I then go for a coffee and use the toilets there. Last summer the public toilets in some towns were still closed, even when non-essential shops were open, so cafes were the only places, so I hope so.

This is from The Guardian:

The correct answer, according to section 20 of the 1976 Local Government MIscellaneous Provisions Act, is that toilets should be provided if food and drink is being sold for consumption on the premises.

So I’d imagine so, unless someone’s changed the law since then.......which is entirely possible atm🙄

Also depends on whether outdoor tables count as ‘on the premises’ I suppose

thanks, that sounds promising then, if outdoor tables count. I think they'd get more business if they do, as it's one of the reasons I go in to buy a coffee even if I don't specially want one, if I want to wander around town for a while doing my non-essential shopping!

Grateful to report our public toilets stayed open since June 2020. I'm the only one ever in there. :)

The toilets in two Costa's and a Starbucks I've been in recently have been open all along. And thanks to lockdown are the cleanest I've ever seen them.

That's handy. Some of the town public toilets never opened even in the summer. I suspect the ones in the city might have, as there is a John lewis there that was open, so theirs probably did too. But otherwise it was cafes in the towns. The Costa and Starbucks here haven't opened theirs, but it sounds like that might be an individual store decision then, so hopefully they will once they have outdoor seating.

We often call into our local Costa when we're out on a walk and use their toilets which have remained open during the lockdowns. The toilets in the shopping centre in Newcastle have remained open too, despite most of the shops being closed.

Which I'm v happy about as I can barely go an hour without needing the toilet

I hope so. Last summer I spent a lot of time crossing my legs.

They’re allowed to have their toilets open. Local cafe to me is open for take aways and their toilets have always been open.

I’ve seen a few venues saying they will be opening outside but with no toilets. I suspect they might have to change that approach pretty quickly. It has really put me off booking anything at those venues. Last summer one of the big gardens near me initially opened with just one set of toilets opened and they had so many complaints that policy seemed to change pretty quickly.

This is such a "mum" concern.

I hope toilets will be open too!

Where I live the public toilets are open.tbh surely it was an error of judgement to close them in the first lockdown as people were relieving themselves on beaches and the like.🤮

They are open in our Costa, they are franchises.

I would guess that there won't be any kind of consensus and each shop or chain of shops will make their own decision. I can't see that it would be fair to expect all places to do the same. A small cafe may not be able to afford the cleaning and supervision of toilets on what they can see on takeaway only.

Yes toilets will be open , you can only go inside if it’s the only way to go outside or use the toilet .

Toilets in our local Park are open have done the whole way through.
So have tesco they said because Costa does take away.

This matter was raised in a press conference months ago, and dodged by whichever male minister was leading that day.

I think the government could do well to remind people of the law about toilets in time for 12 April. I'd be concerned that some people would still avoid some activities because of the fear of no toilet being available.

Since being on this thread, I've heard of council toilets being closed. I'm concerned that with ever tighter budgets some councils will see this as an excuse to not to reopen them.

www.lockdownloo.com/ is a pretty helpful go to.

My local costa has toilets open now as do supermarkets?