I WOULD like to respond to the article about public toilets, that we are not getting the basics right. (Anger over plan to shut down five public loos, The Argus, February 19.)

The council is facing significant budget savings right across the board.

We also had an inherited saving, passed at last year’s budget council and deferred to this year, to take out £120,000 from public toilets provision.

This was in addition to £50,000 worth of new savings.

We have worked hard to renegotiate that amount and put money back into the budget for public toilets which has reduced the amount of savings from £170,000 down to £100,000.

That means Portslade, Station Road; Rottingdean Recreation Ground and seafront toilets at Ovingdean and Saltdean undercliff would be saved.

We have no option to make some savings and the proposals are based on a detailed review.

The toilets put forward for closure are ones with lower usage or have other facilities nearby.

In the case of Victoria Road, Portslade, for example, there are toilets in the town hall across the road so there would be an alternative.

Brighton and Hove has always had one of the best services for public toilet provision in the country and we don’t want to lose that.

We are looking long term to put the service on a sound footing for the future, developing a business plan which will provide £1.5 million investment for a total refurbishment.

We appreciate that residents, visitors and ward councillors value this service and want it to continue.

That’s why we have looked very closely at this proposed budget saving to ensure it has minimum impact.

We will still have 34 public toilets across the city, 27 of them open all year.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, Chairwoman, Brighton and Hove’s environment, transport and sustainability committee