Newbury public toilets set to close

TWO public toilets in Newbury are set to close as a result of West Berkshire Council's cuts to services.

Last week the district council voted in favour of transferring the responsibility of running the toilets at the Wharf and Pembroke Road onto the town council.

But despite setting aside £15,000 in its budget, Newbury Town Council said it couldn't afford to keep them open.

The Visitor Information Centre will also close due to the cuts, but the town council says it is working with Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) to retain some information service - possibly from the Corn Exchange, Newbury Library or the West Berkshire Museum.

However, the town council says that some CCTV service will be retained in Newbury.

West Berkshire Council will stop paying for 40 CCTV cameras - 24 of them in Newbury and Greenham - from April 1.

But a £36,000 contribution from Thames Valley Police, £12,000 from the town council and support from Newbury BID and West Berkshire Business Watch, means the majority will still remain.

For more, see next week's Newbury Weekly News.