Public toilets can be extremely inaccessible for disabled people, which is why the government’s pledge of £23.5 million to improve facilities across 191 councils in England has been applauded.
The Changing Places Fund will see the installation of more than 500 bathrooms at tourist attractions and public places that are designed for severely disabled people, featuring equipment such as curtains, adult-sized changing benches, space for carers and hoists.
Currently, there are only 1,300 easy-access toilets in England, whereas this investment will take this total to 1,813.
Zack Kerr, who has cerebral palsy and has been campaigning for this for five years, told ITV News these facilities are “quite simply life-changing”.
“Life can be difficult enough in many ways, but when there are no accessible toilet facilities where I can be hoisted safely from my wheelchair and changed in privacy and with dignity, I face the choice between staying at home or restricting my social life because of my needs,” the 26-year-old stated.
Leicester City Council has been allocated £240,000 for the installation of ten Changing Places toilets, while North Norfolk District Council will also fit ten new public loos at a cost of £300,000.
Eddie Hughes, ministerial disability champion, said the new funding will allow disabled people to “enjoy everything their local area has to offer with dignity and freedom”.
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17 April,2022
