THE Teignmouth town mayor is confident that the ill-fated Point Toilets will stay put. The public conveniences have been at the centre of a will they – won't they wrangle since Teignbridge Council announced that they were no longer financially viable. It agreed in April that the toilets would close at the end of the summer season on September 30 because the money could be better spent elsewhere. Mayor Cllr Geoff Bladon set up a working party three months ago to formally request the takeover of the facility. It is well used by Shaldon ferry passengers, beach hut owners and visitors using the car park. The nearest loo is situated on The Den. The town council wants to work with town organisations, back beach and river users to manage the loos. Cllr Bladon said: 'Negotiations are proceeding with Teignbridge Council quite nicely. 'I have every confidence that the outcome will meet the hopes and aspirations of the working party so that our plans can come to fruition. He said that he expected the matter to be settled 'within the time limit' before the September 30 closing date. Teignbridge Council decided to earmark the loos for closure in the face of a £115,000 investment to bring the toilets up to standard. That is on top of a £6,000 yearly maintenance bill. Negotiations were opened between the two parties on February 1. The town council was given until March 31 to respond to an offer by Teignbridge Council for them to take over the loos. The town council failed to respond in the time and the district authority rubber-stamped the closure.
