Families face dynamic prices to spend a penny as councils open the door to peak-time public toilet charges

BRITS could be forced to pay more to use public toilets at busy times under plans being considered by local councils. Struggling councils could use surge pricing to push up costs when demand is high, for example seasonally or during peak hours. Sefton Council in Merseyside is planning to introduce cardless payments at its facilities on the Promenade, the town centre and Hesketh Park and could use them for surge pricing in the future. In a report seen by The Southport Lead, which is due to go before the council’s cabinet next week, it said: “Under a new contract, the plan is to introduce contactless payment machines through capital funding, this will allow scope for future generation of income for services provided.” Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! It added that during events held across the borough, increased demand for public toilets would “allow the council the ability to adjust charges during peak periods”, which would help to cover the cost for maintaining the service. Meanwhile, Cotswold District Council consulted on whether to push up the cost to use its toilets during the summer months. The minutes of a meeting held on December 1, 2025, said: “Seasonal increases in cleaning were identified as a possible approach to reflect higher usage, and this would be explored further with the contractor. “The concept of dynamic pricing between summer and winter was a potential option, though no commitment was made and further consideration would be required.” Although both councils have not yet gone ahead with the controversial plans, neither have ruled out introducing them in the future. The news has angered residents, who have taken to social media to voice their concerns. Most read in Money In a post on Facebook one said: “Surge pricing is pure greed, public toilets are a necessity and some people have conditions where they need to go more than others, such as children and the elderly.” Meanwhile, another said: “Please stop assuming that everybody can use contactless ‘access’ – many people don’t have this facility nor the technology to enable them to use this ‘entry ticket’ – once again the elderly and infirm are being targeted and they are more likely to need these facilities!” The news comes after Cambridge City Council introduced a £1 charge for its new city centre conveniences last week, which include some “squat-style flushing toilets”. Meanwhile, the number of public toilets in England has fallen by 14% in the past decade. England now faces a shortfall in provisions, with 15,481 people per public toilet, according to the Royal Society for Public Health. Councils have been forced to consider alternative ways to raise revenue as funding cuts, caps on raising council tax and greater adult social care provisions squeeze their budgets. Surge pricing has become an increasingly common fixture of public life, as last month several car parks started to charge dynamic tariffs for the first time. A Cotswold District Council spokesperson said: “The option of introducing dynamic pricing was considered during the budget-setting process. However, as each price adjustment incurs an associated cost, it was decided not to implement this approach at this time.” Sefton council was approached for comment. Comment now