THE HEATED debate on how to open the long-closed Bye Street toilets in Ledbury is raging on. 

Cllr Tony Bradford said the toilets have been left to deteriorate for several years and has called for Love Ledbury, which has a licence agreement to run the toilets, to re-open them. 

The toilets have been largely closed for over a decade. 

Last month, Love Ledbury said it was 'beyond frustrated' that the town council had refused for the fourth time to start a pilot joint operation of the Bye Street toilets, despite an agreement being made at a meeting in November 2023. 

At last months meeting, the town council was asked to consider a draft partnership agreement whilst discussions were ongoing regarding the longer-term operation and future of the toilets. 

However, after a lengthy debate, the council decided not to make any decision on the draft partnership agreement until a meeting had taken place between the town council, Love Ledbury and Herefordshire Council.

Cllr Bradford said the toilets are not the town council's responsibility as it didn't own them or know how much it would cost. 

He added that Love Ledbury has been in charge since 2014 and have barely been open since then.

Love Ledbury is a community group which intends to help good causes in the town. 

Cllr Bradford added: "Every time it's come up on an agenda Ledbury Town Council has not agreed to take them on. 

"Why have they not opened the toilets, why did they take them on if they had no intention of opening them, what is their financial situation?

"Why has Herefordshire Council not taken them back and opened them, why have they been left to deteriorate, where is the money coming from to put them back to working order, they belong to Herefordshire Council why have they allowed this to happen, and why don't they operate them it's their property."

Cllr Liz Harvey, who is also part of Love Ledbury, said: "Cllr Bradford is entitled to hold the personal view that the council should not step forward to take on the operation of the loos. 

"But in doing so he is not entitled to misrepresent the reality of the work of Love Ledbury or to thwart the will of the wider council just because it runs contrary to his personal views.

"Cllr Bradford is simply wrong to say the council has continued to refuse to take them on – the minutes of the November 2023 full council meeting are evidence that a pilot operating jointly with Love Ledbury was agreed."

A Herefordshire Town Council spokesperson said the toilets belong to the authority and are operated by Love Ledbury under a licence agreement.

The Town Clerk Angela Price said the council would be meeting with members of Love Ledbury and the Hereford Estates office last week to discuss the future of the toilets, but due to unforeseen circumstances the meeting has been delayed until October 1.