A PRIVATE firm is to be brought in to take over the cleaning of York's council-owned public toilets.

Council chiefs have agreed to select MITIE Cleaning Ltd to take responsibility for the locking, cleaning, cash collection and attendant services at all of the council's conveniences.

Members of City of York Council's executive approved a recommendation from authority officers to award the contract to MITIE, after the commercial services department said it did not see cleaning toilets as of "strategic importance".

The executive approved an extra £50,000 for the changeover, and asked whether "grey water recycling" could be brought in for flushing the toilets.

Grey water is the term used to describe water which is stored within buildings and reused.

newsdesk@ycp.co.uk

Updated: 12:14 Wednesday, October 26, 2005