A North Yorkshire councillor has hit out at controversial plans to charge people 40p to use the public toilets in the market town of Malton.
Councillor Keane Duncan, who represents the neighbouring Norton Ward, has launched a "Free to Pee" campaign after he discovered "secret" plans to install card machines to access conveniences in the Market Place.
The proposal was approved during a Malton Town Council meeting item that was held in private, when councillors agreed to take control of the facility from North Yorkshire Council.
Speaking to GB News, Cllr Duncan said: "There is the old phrase 'to spend a penny', but here in Malton, you'll have to spend 40 pennies to access what I consider to be a basic and fundamental right.
GB News
|A North Yorkshire councillor has hit out at controversial plans to charge people 40p to use the public toilets in the market town of Malton
"The town council wants to take control of these facilities [from North Yorkshire Council] and as part of that introduce card payment machines, 40p per visit, and they're also supporting the closure of a second set of toilets to channel as many people as possible into these fee paying facilities.
"It's inherently unfair - other towns in North Yorkshire are going to keep their toilets open, free and in some cases upgraded, and I want the same for Malton."
Duncan said the decision to charge for use of the toilets was made at a meeting in February.
The minutes of the meeting show councillors agreed to introduce card payment machines as part of a refurbishment programme, with charges being levied on users once the improvements had been completed.
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The issue was discussed in a private session in which the public and journalists were excluded.
"The worst part about this entire saga is the way this has been handled by the Town Council," said Duncan.
"They decided to introduce these charges in private - there has been a lot of secrecy around the decision as councillors voted to exclude the press and the public from their meeting and said it would be 'prejudicial' to the public interest for that meeting to take place in the open.
"What I think local people need is openness, transparency and genuine consultation. An important decision like this shouldn't be taken behind closed doors. It should be taken with the full involvement of local people.
"My hope is that the town mayor, that town councillors rethink this decision, reverse their plan and that it remains free to pee here in Malton."
Shopkeepers along the Shambles in Malton do not have their own toilets as their stores lack plumbing, so they rely on the public ones in the Market Place.
Daniel, who helps his mum run Magpie Antiques on the Shambles was outraged at the decision to charge for the toilets and said it could cost them both an extra £20 a week.
He told GB News: "I take a water tablet so I need to use the toilets five times a day at work and my mum also needs to use them and there's no other public ones nearby. It will be an extra £20 a week that we shouldn't have to spend and it's not like we can install our own toilet.
"We pay business rates and it already goes higher every month so I don't want to go down there [to the public toilets] and spend 40p every time.
"Can't we use our own toilets? They've shut this toilet in Wentworth Street, they shut the one in Norton about two years ago.
What's wrong? Why can't you use the toilet for free?
"With the decision being made in secret as well makes it even worse - they didn't tell anyone, didn't ask anyone and as the constituents of Malton we should have been consulted. It's wrong and it's not fair."
Malton is known as Yorkshire's food capital with thousands of tourists flocking to the town every year, with visitors and locals alike relying on the toilet facilities.
GB News spoke to people in the town to ask if they would pay 40p to access the facilities.
GB News
|Councillor Keane Duncan, who represents the neighbouring Norton Ward, has launched a 'Free to Pee' campaign after he discovered 'secret' plans to install card machines to access conveniences in the Market Place
Sarah, who lives in Malton, said: "You actually pay enough with your council taxes, you know, all sorts of things like that, so to actually pay 40p as well, they're trying to bring people to the town and they won't."
Another local said: "I mean, they can charge something, but I think 40p is a bit strong. I suppose it depends on how desperate you are for the toilet as to if you're going to pay for it."
Victoria said: "Needing the loo and the facilities is a fundamental fact of being human and to pay for it just doesn't feel like the right thing to do."
Lynne agreed and said: "I think it's a bit much, really. I don't think you should be charged to use the toilet."
A man, who had driven to Malton to do his shopping, added: "Yeah, I would pay it because you have to pay it don't you. I mean, if you need to go to the toilet, you need to go to the toilet, like I do now."
Malton Town Council declined to comment.
The link to his 'Free to Pee' petition is here.