EAST Renfrewshire Council has been criticised for introducing gender neutral toilets to schools without public consultation.

Independent Councillor David Macdonald, who represents Clarkston, Netherlee and Williamwood, has written to ERC’s head of education services to say he is “increasingly more concerned” with its approach.

He said: “I believe that this is something that is being quietly rolled out as ‘refurbishment’ without any public consultation, permission from parents or consultation with the young people it affects and no consideration has been taken with regards to the problems this will create.

“I am absolutely in favour of the provision of four options in every school – gender neutral, disabled, female and male. I am against the replacement of gender specific toilets with gender neutral cubicles.”

A council spokesperson said: “In line with guidance from the Scottish Government, to allow gender neutral provision in our schools where possible future replacement toilets will now provide individual cubicles for pupils to use, giving complete privacy, with shared hand washing and drying facilities.

“Individual schools will work with parents to establish the most appropriate way to operate these facilities, which are already commonplace in all new-build facilities.”