PARISH councillors in Allendale have been warned against taking over the management of public toilets in the Allen Valleys.

Local county councillor Colin Horncastle believes Allendale Parish Council would incur “horrendous bills” and would be setting a dangerous precedent by taking on the conveniences in Allendale and Allenheads.

Coun. Horncastle spoke out at the latest parish council meeting, a month after the county council announced controversial plans for toilet blocks.

Following a recent review, public toilets across the county will close for the winter months unless parish and town councils cough up £2,000 per toilet block or take over their management.

It would cost Allendale Parish Council £4,000 to keep open the community’s two toilet blocks, which are regularly used by tourists and lorry drivers.

Coun. Horncastle said: “The decision by the county council has got absolutely nothing to do with me.

“Public toilets are not a statutory duty of the county council, and they can pull the plug at any time.

“You as a parish council are in a very difficult position, and making a decision tonight on how to proceed could set a dangerous precedent.

“I know the way the county council is going. It has total disregard for rural areas and there will come a day when you have overall responsibility for services such as toilets, and that is what we have to beware of.

“The sum of £4,000 is perhaps value for money in the short term, but what if something happens further down the line?

“Could you run them and maintain them for a longer period if you are asked to in the future? Once you take them on, it’s difficult to get out of it.

“You could end up with horrendous bills for carrying out a duty which is not yours to take on in the first place.”

The parish council agreed to liaise with local businesses over the county council’s ‘You’re Welcome to Use Our Loos’ initiative, which pays businesses £500 to make their facilities available for public use.

Coun. Jan Simmonds said: “I would rather spend the money by giving it to local businesses.

“We are dealing with public money here. It would have been better if we had more time to find out if the people of the parish would be prepared for their precept to go up.”

Coun. Gordon Whitfield said: “Let’s blame the county council for putting us in this situation. It is asking us to make a decision in the middle of a financial year and is not giving us time to consult with our community on how they want us to proceed.

“The toilets have already closed and we are faced with coming up with a solution very quickly.”

Coun. Nick Howard said: “Rural areas do not seem to matter to the county council. Perhaps this is just the thin end of the wedge.”

Councillors raised concerns about toilet provision for high profile local events, such as the popular Tar Bar’l festival on New Year’s Eve.

Meanwhile, Haltwhistle Town Council has asked the county council to keep its toilets on Westgate open until it can make financial plans for taking over management for the town centre block.

At its November meeting, Coun. Alan Sharp said: “We just need a little more time.

“Any closure of the public toilets here would have a real impact on Haltwhistle.”