London Loos

Good provision of public toilets is a hallmark of a civilised and welcoming place to be. Unfortunately the long-term decline in the number of public toilets has accelerated in recent years and the situation in London and elsewhere is much more than just an inconvenience.

As part of our Out and About campaign we’ve launched London Loos – a call for better public toilet provision in the capital. London’s lack of toilets is a serious public health concern and it is already disadvantaged groups of Londoners such as those with health conditions requiring more frequent visits to the toilet that are most affected.

Social isolation – the ‘loo leash’

Everyone benefits from good and available public toilets but tackling social isolation is the key reason why we have launched the London Loos campaign. That’s because too many older Londoners currently avoid leaving their home as much as they would like because they are not confident they will be able to access a toilet if they need to.

One in five of us experience ‘the loo leash’ where we don’t leave our homes as much as we might like because we are anxious that we won’t be able to find a toilet when we need to. The same concern can mean we drink less than we should, which can lead to dehydration. Dehydration is associated with a higher risk of ill health in older people, from having an infection, a fall or being admitted to hospital. For those that can’t walk or wheel far or fast the lack of toilets can be more acute. Three quarters of the population say that there are not enough toilets in their area.

There are around 1,500 public toilets in London but that’s not enough for a city of more than eight million people. In some parts of London you can walk for 20 minutes or more to reach a toilet and often the provision is poorly maintained or made inaccessible through design or opening times. Increasing public toilet provision would reduce social isolation for thousands of older Londoners and is fundamental to London becoming an age-friendlier and therefore people-friendlier city.

Local Campaign Groups 

We have been working with local campaign groups across five boroughs in London. They in turn are working with their local authority to work towards providing better toilet facilities in their borough. The local campaigners come from Barnet, Haringay, Islington, Merton and Southwark.

Read all about the work they are doing here.

Public toilets in London: The views of older Londoners (September 2022)

From May to July 2022 almost 600 older Londoners told Age UK London what they thought about public toilet provision in the boroughs where they lived.

81% of Londoners say that public toilet provision in their borough is bad, with only 3% of people surveyed reporting that it is good. The survey also reveals that 9 in 10 Londoners sometimes, or always, consider whether there is a public toilet available before leaving home.

You can read more in our report by clicking the link below. 

In-Focus Briefing Papers 

Along with our research we have produced three In-Focus Briefing Papers for local authorities and public health officials. The briefing papers cover toilet strategies, Community Toilet Schemes and planning, development and public information. You can read and download our papers here. If you require any further information contact campaigns@ageuklondon.org.uk

• Local authorities. Community Toilet Schemes
• Local authorities. Planning, development and public information
• Local authorities and toilet strategies

In April 2023, in partnership with London Councils, Age UK London held an event attended by representatives from 19 london local authorities to discuss solutions and ideas for improving toilet provision. Following the event a LinkedIn group was created to provide a platform for discussion and sharing of experiences, resources and knowledge. If you work with a Council and would like to become a group member visit here. 

London Loos Blogs

We have written blogs on our London Loos campaign. The first  focuses on the work of  our local campaign groups and the progress made to date. You can read the blog here.

The second outlines the presentations made at our London Councils event held this year. Read the blog here. 

Sources for statistics and other useful links:

• Taking the P***: The decline of the Great British public toilet, Royal Society of Public Health
• The Toilet Manifesto for London (An initiative led by Kilburn Older Voices Exchange and Positive Ageing in London, supported by Age UK London)
• Great British Public Toilet Map
• Transport For London – Toilets Tube Map
• ‘Loos for London’, a Twitter account
• Dying to spend a penny – A survey of public conveniences within the Royal Borough of Greenwich (RBG), Jane Hopkins, 2020
• The public loo map. Research and article by Victorian Plumbing