Anna Moilanen demands that the City Council guarantee universal and free access to the toilets on the municipality's beaches, after detecting that some beach bars in Playa de Palma were preventing access to non-customers.
The Citizens' Defender of Palma, Anna Moilanen, has urged the City Council to ensure public, universal, and free access to the toilets on the municipality's beaches, and to prevent their use from being conditional on consumption at the concessionaire establishments. The recommendation, presented this Thursday before the Citizens' Rights Commission prior to the municipal plenary, responds to inspections carried out by the Environment Department that revealed that in some beach bars in Playa de Palma, access to the toilets was not allowed for users who were not customers.
Moilanen reminds that the new exploitation terms for the beaches already expressly state that the toilets are public, must remain open during the operating hours of beach services, and no payment can be required for their use. The defender also recommends that the City Council strengthen control to ensure that no person is denied access for not consuming at the beach bars.
Among the measures proposed are to intensify municipal inspections, verify the continued compliance with access conditions, and require the installation of visible signage informing that the toilets are for public and free use, regardless of whether or not the commercial services of the beaches are used. This signage should be placed at all access points to the toilets, both at the entrance and inside the establishments, to avoid confusion.
The recommendation comes at a time when the tourist season is in full swing, with thousands of visitors and residents using Palma's beaches daily. For locals, especially those living in areas close to Playa de Palma, free access to public toilets is a basic necessity, as many cannot afford to consume at the beach bars every time they need to use the toilet. The measure aims to prevent situations of exclusion and ensure equal access to an essential service.
On another note, Moilanen's term as head of the Citizens' Defender will conclude on July 28, and according to the regulations governing the institution, she can no longer apply for a new appointment. In Thursday's commission, all municipal groups, including Vox — a party that has been critical of the Defender's Office and has repeatedly called for its closure — thanked her for her work and acknowledged her involvement over the years. Vox representatives, Jero Mayans and Sara Cerdó, joined in the unanimous recognition.
Moilanen will continue, for the moment, to lead the institution in an acting capacity until the City Council manages to agree on a successor. The selection process for the new Citizens' Defender has no date yet, but it is expected that the application period will open in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the defender will continue to safeguard citizens' rights, with this recommendation regarding public toilets being one of her last significant actions.
For Palma residents, Moilanen's recommendation represents support for their demands for fairer access to public services on the beaches. Many have expressed their dissatisfaction on social media and community forums about having to pay to use the toilet or feeling obliged to consume at the beach bars. Visible signage and periodic inspections could be key to ensuring compliance with the regulations and ending these practices.
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