8:51am Friday 16th May 2008
By Janaki Mahadevan
Shoppers in Borehamwood stores will soon be able to use toilets without spending a penny after councillors approved a trial scheme this week.
At a meeting of Hertsmere Borough Council's executive on Wednesday, a unanimous decision was made to approve a 12-month trial of the Borehamwood Community Toilet Scheme Pilot Project.Under the scheme, several shopkeepers volunteer to allow people to use their toilets, regardless of whether they are customers, in return for an annual fee from the council.Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Ann Harrison, who along with Councillor Di Hoeksma first proposed the idea in January last year, said: "We are absolutely delighted it has finally gone through. "It has taken far too long but now it has been agreed, I hope it can be put in place quickly."The draft project will cost about £40,000 and be funded by the council's local authority business growth incentive scheme.In a report to the executive, Andrew Weaver, head of housing and health, stated: "It is considered that a pilot scheme in Borehamwood is viable based on the experience of other authorities, particularly the London borough of Waltham Forest, where a pilot was successfully run in Leytonstone and has since been rolled out borough-wide."The council hopes to set up the scheme by the summer.
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