Nottingham City Council has been given more than £100,000 in funding for new public toilets for people living with disabilities following a campaign to address the “painfully low” number of facilities. According to the Labour-run authority, the Government’s Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced £23million in funding to “increase the number and spread of Changing Places toilet facilities across England”.
Changing Places is a campaign working to establish a network of toilets suitable for people living with disabilities. According to the campaign group, there are a quarter of a million people in the UK who require public toilet facilities with enough room and equipment to help them get out and about.
The council bid for funding and has secured £115,000 for new facilities in Nottingham. In total, £25,000 will go towards facilities in the undercroft of the memorial gardens on the Victoria Embankment, £50,000 will be allocated to the National Justice Museum and a further £40,000 will go towards the Notts County Foundation in the Portland Leisure Centre.
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There are around 1,700 registered Changing Places toilets in England but “demand for provision is outstripping supply”. The number of facilities needs to increase to improve access for severely disabled people and their carers, the authority says.
Delegated decision documents add: “The project commences November 2022 and will be completed by September 2023, with funding needing to be spent by September 2023.” Changing Places added: “Today, the UK boasts over 1,700 Changing Places toilets.
“That might sound like a lot, but when you consider that there are 2,618 toilets in Wembley Stadium alone, it becomes painfully clear how low that number actually is. So, while we know that, as a country, we’re very privileged, we also know that there’s a whole community – our community – who are still fighting for access to safe and sanitary toileting conditions.”
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