A COUNCIL report has shown that the previous toilet block in Longforth Road in Wellington town centre was insured for just £85,500 – roughly a third of what it is expected to cost to replace.
Wellington Town Council’s policy and finance committee met on Monday (February 10) where councillors were discussing the next steps in the possible rebuilding of new toilet facilities.
But the long drawn-out process has been frustrating and the latest news was greeted with disappointment by councillors.
The previous toilet block had to be pulled down after a motorist drove into the building in December 2022 and made the building unsafe.
But a report showed that a long-winded insurance claim made following the car crash had resulted in an offer of just £11,612.38.
The report also highlighted another glaring financial mismatch that the original toilet block was only insured for only £85,530.79 – a third of what it is expected to cost to replace.
Town clerk Dave Farrow said the town council bought the toilets from the former district council around ten years ago for a nominal fee and the “insurance valuation was carried forward and never challenged.”
And Mr Farrow admitted: “If the toilets were there now in Longforth Road they would be insured for £300,000.”
Cllr Andrew Govier said: “This whole process over the toilets has been fraught with problems. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if I had been told the toilets were insured for £90,000 I’d probably think that was reasonable, not knowing that to replace them would cost the same as the size of a house on a new estate!
“I think generally the costs have been quite frightening. People keep asking as to why it’s going to cost so much.”
Councillors will talk again about the project at the full council’s March meeting.