The Government has confirmed today that £30m of funding to increase the number of Changing Places toilets in England will be distributed by local authorities.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government issued a press release today confirming the plan to invite local councils to opt-in to receive a portion of the funding pot, with authorities then allocating funding to specific Changing Places projects in their area. The funding was originally announced in the 2020 budget, but at that time no further details were provided.
The funding will be delivered through a multi-year programme of opt-in formula grant allocations to unitary and district authorities. Full details of how councils can ‘opt-in’ will be published soon. In the meantime, organisations and venues wanting to install a Changing Places toilet are being encouraged to get in touch with their relevant local authority to register their interest.
Regional Growth Minister Luke Hall MP said:
“It has been an honour working alongside Tesco on our journey towards building the future of accessible toilets for all. Now as we celebrate the opening of the 100th Changing places facilities within Tesco stores nationwide it means trips out are made just that bit easier for the 250,000 disabled people and their families, including myself.”
We are thrilled that our Changing Places Consortium* partners at Muscular Dystrophy UK will be involved in the roll out of this program, giving support to local authorities throughout the process.
As official sponsors of the Changing Places Campaign, we are able to give technical support to local authorities and venues/organisations, with advice on design, layout and specification, as well as practical support for the implementation of Changing Places projects.
Contact Aveso for more information about Changing Places toilets and the new funding: 01242 822979
*The Changing Places Consortium launched its campaign in 2006 on behalf of the over 250,000 people across the UK who cannot use standard accessible toilets. This includes people with muscle-wasting conditions, profound and multiple learning disabilities, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, as well as older people.
There are 13.9 million disabled people in the UK. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as people with other physical disabilities often need equipment and space to allow them to use the toilets safely and comfortably. With a lack of Changing Places toilets, many people are effectively excluded from being able to do all of the things that they want to.
Statutory guidance (from 1 Jan 2021) now requires that Changing Places toilets must be provided in certain new public buildings. This will improve the long-term situation by an estimated 150 Changing Places Toilets per year, but there is no legal requirement to retrospectively fit existing buildings.