Public toilet crisis hits taxi drivers and stoma users as MPs demand urgent action
- Perry Richardson
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Taxi drivers were among the working groups highlighted in Parliament as MPs warned that declining public toilet provision is limiting access to town centres, workplaces and public life for people who cannot easily plan around toilet availability.
The issue was raised during a Westminster Hall debate on public toilet provision for people with stomas, held on 18 June 2026. While the debate focused on the needs of more than 200,000 people across the UK living with a stoma, MPs also linked the problem to workers who spend long periods on the road or outdoors, including taxi drivers, delivery drivers, refuse collectors, postal workers, community nurses and highways staff.
Vikki Slade, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, said the needs of taxi drivers and other mobile workers were often forgotten when public toilet facilities close or fall into disrepair. For cab drivers, the issue is operational as well as personal. Long shifts, limited rank facilities and work patterns that often involve unsocial hours can leave drivers dependent on public toilets, petrol stations, cafés or private businesses.
The debate heard that public toilet provision has declined sharply over recent years. MPs cited estimates suggesting public toilet numbers have fallen by around 40% since the turn of the century, while Royal Society for Public Health research was said to show one public toilet for every 15,500 people in England and a 14% fall in provision since 2016.
For taxi and private hire drivers, poor toilet access has been a long-running workplace concern. Drivers may be unable to leave vehicles unattended, may not be near suitable facilities between jobs, and can face particular difficulty during night shifts when public toilets and businesses are closed. The issue has also featured in wider debates about driver welfare, including calls for better rest areas and basic facilities.
Jim Shannon, DUP MP for Strangford, who secured the debate, said public toilets should be treated as “essential infrastructure” rather than a minor convenience. He told MPs that people with stomas often plan journeys around toilet access and may avoid work, travel or social events if suitable facilities cannot be relied upon.
The debate heard that Colostomy UK’s Stoma Aware survey found 62% of people living with a stoma avoid everyday activities because suitable toilet facilities are not available. MPs also said stoma users can face leaks or other complications that require immediate access to a clean and suitable toilet.
Several MPs called for accessible toilets to be made stoma-friendly through relatively small additions such as shelves, mirrors, hooks and sanitary disposal bins. Shannon pointed to Ards and North Down Borough Council, which worked with Colostomy UK to make accessible toilets in council-owned facilities stoma-friendly.
Nesil Caliskan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said the Government recognised that access to suitable toilets was “fundamental” to dignity, safety and independence for people living with a stoma. She said the Government had committed more than £5 billion over three years for essential local services, including public toilets, and continued to provide 100% mandatory business rates relief for stand-alone public toilets.
Caliskan said local authorities were central to future provision and suggested community toilet schemes, small grants to businesses and procurement rules for facilities in parks or public spaces could help widen access. She also said she was willing to meet campaign groups including Colostomy UK.
