City councillors will tonight decide whether seven of Oxford’s public loos should be closed as part of a city-wide review.

Council officers have recommended that seven of the city’s 27 public loos are shut permanently and two toilets are closed for seven months of the year.

The move has been slammed by opposition councillors who will speak against the plan at the meeting tonight.

Jean Fooks, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Summertown, said: “This is a bad business.

“One of the first thing older people and parents with families want to know when they go out is where is the loo if they need it.

“This is going to cause people a lot of problems.”

The authority hopes to rectify the loss by starting a Community Toilet Scheme across the city in which pubs, shops and restaurants will be asked to open up their loos for use by the general public.

The toilets facing closure later this month are in Castle Street, Littlemore, Woodstock Road, South Parade, Barns Road, Knight’s Road and Headington Hill Park (Disabled).

Abingdon Road and Wolvercote loos are also recommended to be shut from October until May in a move that will save the council £57,000 a year.

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Dr Evan Harris said: “Closing in the winter well-used lavatories like those in Summertown and in Wolvercote —where there are no other nearby facilities for people using Port Meadow — will discriminate against the elderly, disabled, women and people with children, which is totally unacceptable.”

“Labour should be providing more public toilets not closing them.”

Officers have also recommended refurbishing toilets in Gloucester Green at a cost of £300,000 and introducing 20p charge for their use.

A decision will be taken at the council’s executive board meeting at Town Hall at 5pm.