Recent correspondence about Brighton and Hove City Council's extreme reluctance to build a children's toilet in Queens Park illustrates the appalling failure of most local authorities to provide adequate public toilet facilities for their residents and visitors.

I accept there are often problems with men's toilets from cruising gay men and vandalism but the answer is not to close them down.

Obviously, some toilets will be for women only. These should, at a minimum, provide hot water and nappy-changing facilities (also available to fathers who need them). Some toilets should be reserved for young children only.

But the main public toilets should be unisex, as on the Continent, and contain a minimum number of stalls but a large number of cubicles.

There should always be a full-time attendant and there should always be hot water for basins and bidets.

People should be encouraged to use these facilities.

I am aware this policy would cost an awful lot of money but why shouldn't it?

Nobody can argue there is not a huge daily demand for this public service, especially in town and city centres.

The council has a duty of care to supply these public services to its community tax-payers and to visitors.

In my opinion, there should be a statutory obligation for it to provide a minimum standard of public toilets.

I think the Green Party is the only political party in this country to include this policy in its manifesto.

-Michael Stimson, Swanborough Drive, Brighton