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Derry City and Strabane District Council operates 12 public toilets but said with no plans to build new ones, this scheme gives them a cost-effective way of offering more facilities. The scheme, which was first brought in for a time in 2018 and then re-introduced in 2023, is the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland but has been used by councils in England. "I think it's the best way forward," said Aisling Hutton, a Sinn Féin councillor and chair of the council's health and communities committee. She said the scheme, despite seeing the council pay out money to councils, was more cost effective than building new public toilets as the toilets will be cleaned and maintained by the businesses involved. Ms Hutton also said the scheme gave people, especially older people, those with disabilities or those with young children, the chance to plan their route so that they won't be caught short when out and about. It also gave businesses an opportunity to increase their footfall and would compliment the council's age-friendly strategy, she added. "It will encourage older people to leave the house and be independent on their walk down the quay or around the city centre, knowing that they have a facility that they can enter to use the toilet without having to purchase any of the products."
