Coventry City Council secures funding for new Changing Places toilets
Coventry City Council have been awarded more than £240,000 of government funding to install five new Changing Places toilets in the city to help improve lives of severely disabled residents.
Changing Places are toilet facilities for people with profound and multiple disabilities. They are fitted with specialist equipment such as a hoist and changing bench. They provide sufficient space for up to two carers to support the person with a disability to use the Changing Place. These toilet facilities will ensure that people with severe disabilities and their families or carers will not have to worry about whether there are suitable toilet facilities when they go out shopping, plan a day out or travel.
Coventry City Council are one of 64 local authorities across the country to have secured the funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to install the changing places toilets by March 2024.
The council have committed to installing the Changing Places toilets at the following venues:
- Coombe Abbey Park
- War Memorial Park
- Shop Mobility
- Albany Theatre
- Tesco – Cross Point
The commitment to installing Changing Places Toilets in the city is part of the Council’s commitment to improving the accessibility and inclusivity in our city for people with disabilities and their families. We know from what these communities have told us that access to parks and open spaces is so important for their physical and emotional wellbeing providing adequate toilet facilities in these venues is a top priority.
Chair of the Disability Equality Action Partnership (DEAP) and Transport Charter lead, Cllr Christine Thomas said: “Peoples with disabilities have been among those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and we are committed as a council to ensure that the quality of life for these members of our community improves. Part of this commitment is working to break down and remove existing barriers and obstacles that many people with disabilities continue to face such as accessing toilet facilities when out in public places.
“A few more additional toilet facilities may seem like a small change, but it can make all the difference in terms of having an enriching impact on the life of a disabled person, both from an accessibility point of view and in terms of their mental wellbeing”.
“The Disability Equality Action Partnership (DEAP) supports this initiative and all future work in making Coventry a more inclusive place to live so that disabled persons feel included in the planning of our city.”
See a list of all registered changing places toilets across the country.
More information on the Changing Places scheme can be found on the Government website.