Councillors have U-turned on plans to shut public toilets in the city.

The council was considering axing public toilets, including the one in Brighton's Pavilion Gardens, as well as cutting other public services including nurseries, to the uproar of residents.

But, in a turn of events, the council has now said that "alternative" funding has been found in order to keep the toilets open, while "limiting further damage elsewhere".

Brighton and Hove City Council is currently undergoing its annual budget process, with councillors to decide how to spend its £800 million budget next week.

A report has been released to the public detailing budget proposals.

The Greens have stressed how the “dire economic context” has forced them to make “extremely difficult” and “painful” decisions in the face of a £14 million shortfall.

In an announcement today, the Greens have now said that by delaying certain capital projects, they have found a viable way to both save public toilets and produce a balanced budget.

The Greens said that "high-footfall locations" will stay open, though they did not name them, and sites that are already closed are being reviewed with plans to open them as soon as feasible.

They said they will continue to “drive” conversations to make toilets in cafes and other locations accessible to the public, with a dedicated project manager to be recruited.

This will ensure the council can work with businesses and communities to improve toilet provision over the coming months and years. This work will be reported to the environment, transport and sustainability committee later this year.

Greens say that public toilets should be a legal responsibility for all councils.

Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas MP has tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament to recognise “that public toilets are essential social infrastructure, vital for public health and inclusion, and necessary for people with long term conditions, disabilities, young children, homeless people and others of all ages to get out and about”.

The motion also calls on the government to provide funding to local councils to keep them open.

Councillor Elaine Hills, who co-chairs the environment, transport and sustainability committee, said:  “We are pleased that, thanks to the hard work of Green councillors and officers, we have found a solution that enables toilets to remain open.

“Facilities that are used frequently will be prioritised and stay open, and we’ll be reviewing the financial viability and condition of other facilities, with a view to updating and bringing into use as many as we can. 

“We’re also looking at this issue in the long-term. Recently, Councillor Zoe Olivia John called on Southern Water to pay up and fund the city’s toilets, and we will continue to make this need clear.

“We are proposing a concerted effort to engage with cafes and other such commercial sites across the city, to encourage and facilitate the use of more toilets for public use.

“Simultaneously, we are joining with Caroline Lucas and campaigners in calling on the government to recognise toilet access as a statutory duty. Together, we are demanding that this recognition is ratified alongside significant governmental funding for local authorities, so that we are able to provide their residents with this basic service.”

Councillor Steve Davis, who co-chairs the environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “We always knew this Tory-rigged budget would be a lose-lose scenario for the city. The only way to get through it is to be honest with residents about the situation, to get their contributions on how to prioritise their most urgent needs, and to make the tough decisions that keep vital public services alive.

“Greens run in order to stand up for our communities, and I am proud to say that wherever possible, within this horrifying context we find ourselves in, we have managed to stay true to that, with toilets and a whole range of issues. It’s tough, but we’re making it work – we ask the city for the solidarity and compassion that it always gives.”