Community Toilet Scheme
Helping everyone feel confident to get out and about in Hertfordshire
Being able to easily find a toilet when you’re out and about can make all the difference to whether people feel confident leaving home, spending time in their community and staying connected.
The Community Toilet Scheme, developed through the Age Friendly: Live Better programme, aims to improve access to toilet facilities across Hertfordshire through a countywide partnership approach. This includes promoting and mapping existing publicly accessible toilets, such as those in council buildings, libraries and community venues, alongside supporting local businesses and organisations that voluntarily choose to make their toilet facilities available to the public.
By making it easier for people to find and access toilet facilities, the scheme helps remove one of the barriers that can prevent people from getting out and about, supporting people to stay active, connected and independent. Although developed in response to feedback from older residents, the scheme will benefit people of all ages by making communities more welcoming, accessible and inclusive.
Why is the scheme needed?
Why is the scheme needed?
The scheme was developed in response to feedback from more than 3,000 Hertfordshire residents aged 55+.
One of the strongest messages we heard was that access to toilets can be a significant barrier to getting out and about.
56% of residents told us they spend less time in public places because they worry about finding a toilet when they need one.
Having more accessible toilets available can help people to:
- Stay independent for longer
- Feel more confident visiting town centres and local communities
- Reduce isolation and loneliness
- Support people with long-term health conditions, disabilities and caring responsibilities
- Encourage people to shop locally and spend more time in their communities
How does the Community Toilet Scheme work?
Participating businesses and organisations agree to make their toilet facilities available for public use during their normal opening hours, without requiring visitors to make a purchase.
Businesses that join the scheme will display one of our Community Toilet Scheme window stickers to let people know that facilities are available. Three sticker designs are available, allowing participating venues to choose the option that best suits their premises.
Participating venues will also be added to the Great British Toilet Map, making it easier for residents and visitors to find facilities when they are out and about.
A Partnership approach
The Community Toilet Scheme is entirely voluntary. We recognise that opening toilet facilities will not be suitable for every business or organisation, and we fully respect that. The scheme simply provides an opportunity for organisations that are willing and able to take part.
The scheme is not intended to replace public toilet provision. Instead, it complements existing facilities by bringing together councils, community organisations and local businesses to help improve awareness of toilet provision across Hertfordshire.
Find a toilet with confidence
To help people find toilet facilities more easily, the Community Toilet Scheme is supported by the Great British Toilet Map—an established national map of publicly accessible toilets.
Rather than creating a separate local map, we are using this trusted resource to bring together information on both existing toilet facilities and new Community Toilet Scheme venues in one place.
The map includes:
🚻 Public toilets
📚 Libraries
🏛️ Council buildings
🤝 Community venues
☕ Businesses and organisations participating in the Community Toilet Scheme
As new organisations join the scheme, they will be added to the map alongside existing facilities, ensuring residents and visitors have access to one trusted, up-to-date source of information. This means residents and visitors can access the latest information in one place, with both local and national updates helping to keep the map as accurate and up to date as possible.
Find a toilet near you
Whether you’re planning a day out, visiting a new area or simply need to find the nearest toilet while you’re out and about, the Great British Toilet Map makes it easy to locate publicly accessible facilities across Hertfordshire and the rest of the UK.
The Great British Toilet Map helps you to:
📍 Find nearby publicly accessible toilets
🧭 Plan your journey with confidence
🚻 Discover both existing facilities and Community Toilet Scheme venues
🔄 Access up-to-date information as new venues join the scheme
➡ Search the Great British Toilet Map
Are you a business or organisation?
Help make Hertfordshire more accessible
Could your business or organisation help someone stay independent, visit their local high street or enjoy a day out with confidence?
Organisations taking part simply agree to:
- Allow members of the public to use their toilet facilities during normal opening hours.
- Display a Community Toilet Scheme sticker in a visible location.
- Inform staff that the organisation is taking part.
Businesses are free to choose whichever of the three approved sticker designs best suits their premises.
Register your interest
Interested in joining the Community Toilet Scheme? We’d love to hear from you.
📧 Email: agefriendly@ageukherts.org.uk
Together, we can make Hertfordshire more age friendly
The Community Toilet Scheme is just one of the ways the Age Friendly: Live Better programme is helping to remove barriers that prevent people from staying active, connected and independent.
Working together with residents, businesses, community organisations and local authorities, we can help create communities where people of all ages feel confident getting out and about, staying connected and enjoying everything Hertfordshire has to offer.