http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Publ...ity-centre-s/story-28666697-detail/story.html PEOPLE could be charged 20p to spend a penny in the Hull city centre's two remaining council-run public toilets, according to a new report. The idea of introducing charges at the Queen Victoria Square and Nelson Street toilets is being examined as part of a review of public conveniences. Both are currently free to use. It comes after councillors called for the mothballed toilets under the King William statue in Market Place to be reopened for visitors attending events during the UK City of Culture 2017 programme. They also asked whether the currently closed toilet block in Baker Street could also be reopened. The report, which will be considered by councillors next week, says: "It is acknowledged that the city centre is lacking in council-provided facilities, particularly outside of typical daily opening hours and in terms of provision for people with disabilities." The report, by the council's street scene manager Andy Burton, says asking people to pay 20p per visit would bring in around £37,500 at the Queen Victoria Square toilets. Despite being underground and with limited disabled access, the toilets are used by about 187,000 people every year. In Nelson Street, annual estimated usage is 37,000 people which could generate £7,500 per year. Mr Burton said it was likely that usage would drop by about 25 per cent if charges were introduced given the experiences seen elsewhere at other councils. But he added: "Given the council's financial position, the idea of charging at existing sites is valid regardless of 2017 and plans to reinvest either permanently or temporarily in reopening old sites." At this stage, the prospect of either the Baker Street or King Billy toilets reopening for 2017 looks remote. The latter were closed almost 20 years ago as a cost-cutting measure and because of health and safety concerns over their location in the middle of a road. The Baker Street toilets were shut in 2010 after suffering from extensive water damage. Mr Burton said: "Reopening old sites would be potentially very expensive. "Baker Street would need a total internal refit as well as being made watertight. "King Billy would need a structural survey to indicate current condition and what would be needed to bring it back into a safe condition. "We would also need to resolve health and safety concerns regarding access across the carriageway." He said there were a number of available public toilets in council buildings and shopping centres in the city centre but none owned by the authority that opened at night. "The current dilemma in preparing for 2017 is that the timing, location and nature of events are unknown," he said. "What we do know is that we should expect a general increase in visitor numbers throughout the year, combined with multiple large events. "The main focus, in terms of toilet provision, will therefore be event specific and form part of the event management responsibility. "However, it will be possible to open the council's two attended public conveniences in Queen Victoria Square and Nelson Street to support evening events." My opinion: Although I accept paying to use toilets abroad and I pay a lot more for most things without caring I do find it difficult to pay for toilets in the UK after being used to using them for free.
Anyone remember the Hull folk duo Christopher Rowe and Ian Clarke and their song about Queen Victoria being perched on a loo! I though the King Billy toilets where listed would be nice to see then reopened. Am I wrong or did they used to have glass cisterns?
Glass cisterns and glass roof... please log in to view this image I don't think it's a big deal to charge 20p, though I don't expect they'll re-open King Billy, it's too dangerous.
It's a bit of an urban myth, they did actually try putting goldfish in them, but there wasn't enough air and they died, so there wasn't actually fish in them for more than about a week. One attendant, many years ago, did used to put slivers of carrot in them, so when they flushed it looked like fish were swimming around.
As someone who has moved about a lot since leaving Hull in 75, I have found the King Billy bogs and the goldfish tale the most commonly known fact mentioned when people heard where I am from. By a clear lead too. Granted, 9 in 10 further than 75 miles in any direction knew nothing but unspecified contempt. But with the other 1 in 10, Billy's bogs where the best known. I think there have appeared a number of times, complete with planted goldfish, on various magazine style TV progs over the years. I also remember some fascinatingly posh architectural type featuring them in a documentary about public toilets. And as we all know, your nothing if you don't appear on TV. Looking for a clip from the above documentary, I see the Nelson St ones are held in high esteem by aficionado's. As to paying to use public facilities in general, I don't like it. I understand the economic points about charging but to me there is an overriding issue of addressing a universal and fundamental human need. People need and have to go and people in the area don't want them going (?) in the streets. 20p isn't much to pay and hardly a burden to most but it shouldn't imo be necessary. It's something everyone needs at one time or other and if we can't collectively accept and address this most inevitable and fundamental human needs, what chance health or education? Our increasing dependence on corporate replacements for public services is a trap which won't be completely sprung until it is virtually inescapable. When it is, we will undoubtedly be paying far more than 20p in one way or another.
I've never known another city like Hull for a bit of subterranean pissing. A pub crawl from Old Town to Paragon could be traversed pretty much like a mole. An incontinent mole, at any rate. The underground urinal at Paragon Station was evil. People disappeared in there, never to return. Thinking about it, Hull also specialised in the exact opposite of underground urinals. Open air urination in a stylish pissoir. My favourite of those was the one on Spring Bank West / Chants Ave. A 20 year old bladder, loaded with 10 pints of cheap lager could walk there from Spiders. Just. Well, more often than not, anyway.
Yes. Hence the requirement for free access to facilities. It's an absolute necessity for those needing to go and it's a high priority for the residents that they don't go in the streets . Win win?
So much for the ""spend a penny"" saying. As for the closed toilets. They need to get the Baker Street ones open again at the very least.
