Public toilet ‘deserts’ widespread across England
Author: RSPH 20 April 2026 2 min read
New research highlights the lack of public toilets across the country.
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has today published new research showing that there are 15,481 people for every public toilet in England.
It warns that the data - based on over 200 Freedom of Information Requests - represents a significant shortfall in the provision of toilets creating what it terms as ‘public toilet deserts’.
Previous RSPH research has shown that there are a host of knock-on effects that are caused by a lack of public toilets. Its 2019 report, Taking the P*ss, showed that one in five people leave home less often than they would like and half of people restrict their fluid intake, risking dehydration.
It also warns inadequate numbers of toilets increase rates of public urination which create unhygienic conditions as well as discouraging people from spending time in public spaces which decreases footfall for local businesses.
The number of people for every public toilet in England.
Overall reduction in public toilets across England since 2016.
Amount local authority funding power has fallen by since 2010.
To help boost the number of public toilets RSPH is calling for new Strategic Authorities to have an overarching duty to ensure there are sufficient public toilets in their areas, located where people need them most, and supported by funding from central Government.
It also argues that private developers should play a role in boosting the numbers in England with new regulations that would require public toilets to be included in any development that includes non-residential units.
Currently, public toilet provision in England is discretionary to local councils. Since 2010 local authority funding power has reduced by 26% meaning that spending on non-discretionary services (such as public toilets) has fallen. According to the RSPH, since 2016 this has led to a 14% overall reduction in public toilets across England.
In the devolved nations, where local authorities have more say on spending, the rates of public toilets for the population are far higher with around 8,500 people per public toilet in Scotland and 6,748 in Wales.
Rejuvenating “neglected” town centres and public spaces is a key priority for the Government and in late September it announced the ‘Pride in Place’ programme which will see multi-year investment in 330 of Britain’s “overlooked” places.
Earlier this year RSPH published its Streets Ahead report, which set out a roadmap for every local authority to put in place the facilities and services which are needed to build thriving places and encourage healthy behaviour. Of the ten building blocks of a ‘healthy high street’ - inclusive design, safety, and access to facilities were central aspects.
Access to public toilets is a universal need that we all have, and we shouldn’t shy away from talking about it. One public toilet for per 15,000 people simply isn’t good enough, and without action that figure will keep rising as we lose more facilities.
William Roberts, Chief Executive, Royal Society for Public Health
For some people, access to a public toilet can be the difference as to whether they leave the house, for others it can lead to deliberately restricting fluid intake to avoid the needing to use a toilet.
The effects also go far beyond the individual. Having an insufficient number of public toilets has inevitable unsanitary consequences, creating unpleasant environments that degrade our public realm.
As a country we can and should be doing better. We need to create public spaces that people want to spend time in, and this means giving local authorities the resources they need to provide the facilities we all rely on.
