£30m Changing Places toilets fund open for applications

Councils are being urged to apply for a share of a £30 million fund to install life-enhancing Changing Places toilets in public places and tourist attractions.

There are currently around 1,200 registered Changing Places toilets in England – these are larger accessible toilets for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets, with equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches, and space for carers.

An estimated 250,000 people in the country need these facilities to enable them to get out and about and enjoy the day-to-day activities many of us take for granted.

Research conducted by the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers, also published today, demonstrates that the top three places where people currently use and value CPTs are shops, hospitals, and tourist attractions. Users, their families, and carers would like to see future provision in areas enabling them to ‘have a day out’ and undertake more recreational activities with dignity, confidence, and freedom.

The top three locations where these facilities should be made available were country parks, open spaces, tourist attractions, transport networks – the journey to the destination being a key factor in planning a day out. The top three venues were: beaches and the seaside, motorway services, and parks or gardens.

Regional Growth Minister Luke Hall said: “In our national effort to build back better from Covid-19, the government wants to create a stronger, safer and fairer society in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect. With central government, local government and the third sector working more closely together than ever before, we will put the right facilities in the right places for those who need them the most – extending freedom, accessibility and dignity to all.”