Oxford City Council won a host of trophies at the 2017 Loo of the Year Awards, including the prize of best local authority toilet provision in both England and the UK.
Oxford’s 18 entries were awarded a total of 10 gold and 4 platinum awards. The Council’s parks toilets were also recognised, with Cutterslowe Park winning the National Award for Parks and Gardens in the Leisure category.
Introduced in 1987, the Awards serve “to encourage the highest possible standards in all ‘away from home’ washrooms.” They are supported by national tourism bodies within the UK and are considered ‘the washroom standard’.
Each entry was judged against criteria covering both male and female facilities, as well as any accessible, baby changing, changing space or hygiene room facilities. All entries were judged based on unannounced visits by an authorised Loo of the Year Awards inspector.
Speaking after Oxford’s success, Councillor John Tanner, Board Member of a Clean and Green Oxford, said: “Over the last few years the Council has invested heavily to make the city’s public toilets some of the best in the country. This has been reflected in the awards we have won in 2015, 2016 and now 2017. I want to thank the staff who keep the toilets pristine and the public for leaving the toilets as we would hope to find them.”
The Council’s excellent results follow their success in 2015 and 2016 Awards, as well as a £700k refurbishment project carried out between 2013 and 2016.
The Council maintains 23 public toilets.
For Cherwell, maintaining editorial independence is vital. We are run entirely by and for students. To ensure independence, we receive no funding from the University and are reliant on obtaining other income, such as advertisements. Due to the current global situation, such sources are being limited significantly and we anticipate a tough time ahead – for us and fellow student journalists across the country.
So, if you can, please consider donating. We really appreciate any support you’re able to provide; it’ll all go towards helping with our running costs. Even if you can't support us monetarily, please consider sharing articles with friends, families, colleagues - it all helps!
Thank you!
