Cwmamman town council has all but agreed to lease Glanaman public toilets from the local authority for 99 years.

After almost 18 months of discussions the council has received a draft version of the lease, which, subject to minor amendments, will see the body take over the loos as Carmarthenshire county council looks to offload responsibility for its assets.

The length of the agreement was welcomed by councillors who had feared they would be expected to shoulder the financial burden of the toilets without any long-term plan and subject to the whim of the local authority.

“My fear had been that a few years down the line the county council might decide to sell it off to raise cash,” said Councillor Emyr Jenkins, who had previously pushed for the town council to take full ownership of the conveniences.

“My main concern has always been to safeguard the public toilets for the community of Cwmamman. A 99-year lease does provide that safeguard. I do not think we can really expect anything better than this.”

However, town clerk David Davies warned councillors that the nature of the lease carried its own risks. “In legal terms, the longer the lease the greater the liability and responsibility,” he said.

“The way the lease has been drafted at present as very restrictive on the town council.”

He also warned that the lease related only to the building. “The bit of land around the toilets is not included,” he said.

Cllr David Jenkins, who also sits on the county council, confirmed that essential maintenance work on the current facilities would be carried out by the local authority as part of the transfer agreement within three years of the agreement being signed, but warned that the march of progress might leave the council maintaining outdated facilities in future.

“I’m not sure how much toilet technology is likely to change in the next 99 years, but we do need to be careful that we are not left with a Victorian toilet in 100 years time,” he said. Councillors agreed to arrange a site meeting with local authority officers to discuss the maintenance work required. They also agreed to contact the county council regarding alterations to a number of clauses in the contract and seek the inclusion of a termination clause allowing the council to end the agreement every five years.

“At least we have got something to work with now,” said Cllr Emyr Jenkins. “Now it is just a matter of getting it right.”