Legislative influence on the decline of public toilet provision in the UK: a case study of Leeds city

Abstract

The provision of public toilets has declined in the UK, limiting citizens’ ability to use public spaces and fully participate in society. This article investigates the legislative context of this decline by analysing the Public Health 1936, Section 87, which remains the principal legislation influencing public toilet provision. We use the Institutional Grammar Tool and a narrative case study of the history of public toilets in Leeds City Centre to unpack the weakening influence of the norm-driven policy on the provision of public toilets. We argue that changing notions of infrastructural citizenship in broader society have contributed to the abandonment of public toilets and an increasing reliance on private provision and individual independence, which are inherently more exclusionary. This article raises important questions about how fit-for-purpose the current UK public toilet policy is, and ends with a call for more robust legislation to promote greater infrastructural citizenship and ensure inclusive public spaces for all.