Hornchurch & Upminster MP Julia Lopez has written to the Leader of Havering Council to raise concerns about the declining availability and condition of public toilets across the constituency, following numerous complaints from residents.
In her letter, Mrs Lopez outlined three key cases brought to her attention in recent months — the closure of station toilets at Hornchurch and Upminster Bridge, the withdrawal of public access to facilities at Sainsbury’s on Hornchurch High Street, and the poor state of the public toilets on Corbets Tey Road in Upminster.
She expressed particular concern for vulnerable residents, including those with medical conditions and parents with young children, who require access to facilities at short notice.
Mrs Lopez has been in contact with Transport for London’s Deputy Mayor, Seb Dance, urging him to resolve underlying issues at the stations to enable the toilets there to re-open. Julia is expecting to meet with TfL on site to discuss the issues later this month.
On the matter of the Hornchurch Sainsbury’s toilets, Julia has asked the retailer to reconsider its decision to close its facilities to public use, though the supermarket has so far maintained its position.
More recently, residents have raised the issue of vandalism and disrepair at the Corbets Tey Road toilets. In her letter to the Council Leader, Mrs Lopez asked for clarity on what external funding bids the Council had pursued and why they had failed to materialise. She also reiterated her office’s offer to support future funding applications to improve facilities in the area.
In addition to raising individual cases, Mrs Lopez asked Havering Council whether it had broader plans to increase toilet availability across the borough, including the potential to revisit a Community Toilet Scheme previously explored during the pandemic.
Speaking about the issue, Julia said:
“Access to clean and safe public toilets is a basic need which, if not fulfilled, affects people’s confidence in using local shops, high streets, parks and public transport.
“This is part of a wider piece of work I’ve been doing to improve toilet provision across the constituency, particularly for those with health conditions, parents with young children and older residents.
“I am keen to work constructively with Havering Council and others like TfL and local retailers to ensure residents have access to the facilities they need.”
