Cornelius McAfee is collecting support for his petition

CAMPAIGN group Loos for Islington has presented councillors with a petition signed by more than 2,000 people calling for better public toilet provision in the borough.

It wants to spread awareness about how a lack of facilities creates a “loo leash” for many residents who are older or have disabilities, restricting them from going out.

Cornelius McAfee, who has been a spokesperson for Loos for Islington, said: “Did you know that one in five people avoid going out as much as they would like because they can’t find a public toilet?

“I became one of those people after a couple of bouts of cancer. Lack of provision leads to social isolation, especially for our most vulnerable residents. Public toilet access is more than meeting basic needs, it’s about public health, dignity, and supporting the local economy.”

Mr McAfee added: “We are grateful the council is investing in more toilets, but good provision is about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about listening to residents, understanding needs and addressing toilet deserts.”

Almost two years ago Islington Council committed to investing £1.2million to improve public toilets but Mr McAfee says that this has been spent unwisely.

“There’s the all signing, all dancing one at Newington Green [but] they haven’t listened to us,” he said.

“That £1.2million could have been used to make simpler loos and give someone a job to run round and maintain them.”

There are only three toilet facilities currently open – in Chapel Market, Highbury Fields, and Newington Green.

“The current state of play, there’s exactly the same number of lavatories now as in October 2022 when I started the campaign,” Mr McAfee said.

Cabinet councillor Sheila Chapman said the council was aware of the importance of the issue, adding: “Work is under way to make sure Islington gets the public toilet network it needs.”

She said: “As we have announced previously, we have allocated £1million to replace the old automated public toilets in Islington that are currently out of order or nearing the end of their lifetime. Updated free-to-use toilets at Newington Green have been open to the public since January 2024, and phased enabling works for the installation of new automated toilets commenced in September 2024 at three sites – Highbury Fields, Highbury Crescent, and Islington Green, with works on the other three toilets starting shortly. Installation of all the toilets is due to be completed by early 2025.”