New loos bring relief

There is relief for the residents of Ollerton after funding for new public toilets was agreed.

Newark and Sherwood District Council will contribute £10,000 towards the £20,000 cost.

Ollerton has been without public toilets for about three years since a block near the Fat Boys shop on Forest Road closed when the district council decided they were poor quality.

The town clerk, Mrs Karen Wakefield, welcomed the funding and said the toilets were needed.

“I am very pleased,” she said.

“We leave the Town Hall open during the day so people can come in and use the toilets, but when we have a meeting that is not practical.

“Unless people come here or go to Tesco, there is nowhere else.”

Ollerton and Boughton Town Council will pay for the maintenance and cleaning of the toilets, which are likely to be just inside the cemetery gates.

Funding was initially rejected but district council cabinet members had a rethink.

Mr Roger Blaney had concerns about the system used to rate the project’s merits in the first instance.

He said: “When I went through and scored each single project I came out with very different answers at the end.

“Can we not find a way of funding this project?”

Mr Tony Roberts said the funding could be found and it was approved by the cabinet.

Mr Blaney said: “Can we commend Ollerton and Boughton Town Council for managing to cost the building and upkeep of public toilets in their area at a mere fraction of the cost of the toilets built in Newark town centre.”

The toilets in St Mark’s Place, Newark, cost about £300,000.