Star date: 16th January 2012

ECCLES TOILET WINS SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARD…

The Salford Star Mary Burns Awards - given out to honour the most deserving individuals and organisations in the city for their stupid statements, dodgy dealings and iffy activities over the past 12 months – has a brand new category this year, devised specially for one very special loo…

Ladies and Gentlemen, chuck your toilet rolls in the air for the winner of the IN FOR A PENNY IN FOR £26,500 AWARD…

Click here to see who's done the business…

SALFORD STAR MARY BURNS AWARD –
IN FOR A PENNY IN FOR £26,500 AWARD…

Winner: Urban Vision

Yes, Salford Council's joint venture Urban Vision company wins the new In For A Penny In For £26,500 Award for services to loo cleaning.

Salford Council's last remaining public toilet is the swish automatic loo at the Eccles Interchange where, for a mere 20p entry, you can sample the delights of its metallic and porcelain interior…

There's a mirror, a toilet, some loo roll, a countdown digital clock that kicks you out after twenty minutes and even an emergency escape button near the floor in case you get trapped by the automatic door. All mod cons guaranteed. Apart from the brown mould in the corner and a less than spotless pan…

Salford tax payers will be thrilled to know that Urban Vision last year paid a whopping £26,500 maintenance fee for this state-of-the-art convenience to loo companies Adshel and Danfo. That's £510 per week, or £2208 per month. To clean a toilet.

The fee only came to light when Salford Council was discussing Urban Vision's Annual Report back in June, where Councillor Derek Antrobus, the Council's head of Panning (surely Planning – ed) "asked why this toilet was still funded when all other public conveniences in the City had been closed". Urban Vision's Ian Buckley and Jonathan Ellis were sent off to investigate the matter further…

The loo duo were due to give an answer at last week's Urban Vision Partnership Forum but those minutes won't be published for another six months, so tax payers will have to cross their legs until then.

Meanwhile, Salford Council's only public toilet – installed at a reputed cost of £100,000 way back in 2004 – wins this year's brand new category Salford Star Mary Burns Award.

Ladies and Gentlemen, wet yer knickers for the winners of the In For A Penny In For £26,500 Award…

URBAN VISION!

Applause…

If anyone from the Urban Vision would like to make a speech please fill in the Comments box below

Also see previous Mary Burns Award winner this year - click here