HELSTON town councillors are looking at asking the town's three Cornwall councillors to forego their rise in allowances to help pay to keep public toilets open in the town.
The council is looking at four options as it strives to save two of the town's three sets of public loos.
One of these options is to ask Cornwall councillors Alec Robertson, Andrew Wallis and Judith Haycock to give up their £2,000-plus rise in allowances, agreed by the unitary authority last week, if they are re-elected in May.
Other options include asking the private sector to take over the toilets, a shared scheme with other local councils or sponsorship.
Cornwall Council is divesting itself of many non-statutory responsibilities such as public toilets in the face of government funding cuts and asking parishes and towns to take them on.
It looks likely toilets in Trengrouse Way will have to close, but at a special meeting on Thursday the town council agreed in principle to retain those at the monument and the Guildhall.
Now members are looking at the best way to finance and run them, declaring it to be essential that the service should be maintained.
Cornwall Council has advised them that only a grant of £9,279 a year would be available, probably only enough to keep one set of toilets open.
As a result, town councillors came up with their four options.
Keith Reynolds, chairman of the council's policy, resources and finance committee, said: "We will now be moving forward to obtain running costs."
Cornwall councillors' basic allowance will rise from £12,500 to £14,600 a year under the terms of the agreement reached last week.
