Pembrokeshire’s national park has agreed to offer just under £111,000 a year to the county council to help keep some seaside public toilets in the park open.

However, the amount offered is less than the county council had asked for, members of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s monthly meeting heard yesterday, September 20.

The national park was contacted by the county council after a February Cabinet decision on the future of public toilet provision in the county.

It said that, if the National Park Authority was unable to financially contribute towards the provision of a number of toilet facilities around the coast, they could be at risk of closure.

Locations the council was seeking funding for were: West Angle Bay, Freshwater East, Manorbier, Newport Sands, Newgale South, Nolton Haven, Poppit Sands, Saundersfoot car park, St Brides, Broad Haven North car park, Moylegrove, Penally Station car park, Solva, Little Haven, Newport Parrog, Porthgain, and St Davids (Oriel Y Parc car park).

The council funding call would have amounted to just over £160,000, members of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s September 20 meeting heard.

Of these facilities - none of which are run by the national park - only Poppit Sands and Oriel y Parc are on land owned by the park; in other cases, it has assets nearby, including car parks.

The National Park Authority established a Members’ Working Group, recommending toilet facilities be funded at West Angle, Freshwater East, Manorbier, Newport Sands, Poppit Sands, Saundersfoot, Broad Haven North, and Solva.

The Park’s Asset Management Group had also recommended funding St Brides, bringing the total cost to £101,610.

Officers had also recommended that Little Haven be added to the locations for funding, taking the total cost to £110,970.

The Members’ Working group also recommend that this offer be accompanied by a request to PCC to set up a Working Group to consider how toilet facilities at key locations can be enhanced via grant applications to improve infrastructure and reduce ongoing revenue costs.

A report for members said the park was in a position to provide financial support on a short term (two-year basis) if changes to car parking charges recommended by the National Park Authority earlier this year are delivered via changes to the National Park car parking order.

“This financial position means that the option of funding all toilets at the level requested by PCC is not possible.  However, funding some or part of the toilet facilities is possible.”

Chair Di Clements, who moved the recommendation at the September 20 meeting, described it as “a fair offer” to the council.

Councillor Rhys Jordan, who seconded approval, said: “It’s disappointing we find ourselves in this position, it’s not for the national park to provide public toilets, as I see it as a county so heavily dependent on tourism, there is a need to provide public toilets.

“I hope that Pembrokeshire will accept this offer so we can move forward and continue to provide public toilets for residents and tourists.”

Councillor Simon Hancock said it was “essential that both public bodies are mindful and cognisant of the difficulties that both face,” adding that public toilet provision was an “absolutely essential part of the infrastructure of a civil society”.

Councillor Mike James stressed the toilet provision was not just a boost for tourism: “People say it’s tourism but local people use the facilities, lots of dog walkers and lots of families of an evening, we’ve got to look after them. The gesture now, a fantastic gesture, I’m hoping Pembrokeshire County Council will be able to accept that.”

Members agreed to approve a formal two-year offer to Pembrokeshire County Council, subject to the creation of a working group seeking grant funding, and to develop an accessible coast project, submitting grant funded applications over this two-year period.