Plans to close almost half the city’s public toilets are the result of a failed attempt to insource the operation, Conservative councillors claim.

Tories joined Labour councillors in voting against proposals to close 18 public toilets across Brighton and Hove, many of them in parks or along the seafront in Hove and Rottingdean.

Councillor Robert Nemeth, Conservative group spokesman for environment, transport and sustainability, slammed the Green-led administration and said a decision to cancel a private cleaning contract which still had five years left to run was a mistake.

Cllr Nemeth said: “The city-wide closures of public toilets we are seeing is solely a consequence of the administration’s public toilet insourcing policy.

“This policy change was completely unnecessary, given that the city had a ten-year private contract for cleaning and maintaining the city’s public toilet blocks which had five years left to run.

“We must remember that all public toilets were open while this contract was running.

“The administration’s policy of cancelling this contract and setting up its own service has completely failed and led to the collapse of a basic service. Had this policy not been pursued, all public toilets would currently be open.

“When announcing the public toilet insourcing policy, the leader of the council specifically said that he preferred to 'bring public toilets back in-house to ensure we have direct management and better accountability'. The leader of the council now needs to show what that accountability means, given that this policy has failed.

“No one wants to hear more excuses from the city council or blaming others such as the government for this mistake. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the government. Residents would like to see some responsibility being taken.”

Councillors debated for more than an hour on the plans, which would also see the remaining public toilets implement charges.

In the debate, Steve Davis, Green councillor for Withdean and joint chairman of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said the council is duty-bound to provide a balanced budget and that any closures would not necessarily be permanent.

He said: “We are trying our very best here to protect our public services. This is a controlled demolition of public services - we know why we are in this position.”

Councillors will discuss the proposals in further detail in a budget meeting of the policy and resources committee on February 9.