The council in Brighton has secured £330,000 from the government to increase the Changing Places Facilities (CPTs) in the city - and they've topped it up with an extra £94,500.
That brings the total for toilet facilities to £424,500.
The bulk of money was awarded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the funds will be spent on providing more toilets for disabled people, in particular, those with profound and multiple learning disabilities and/or other physical disabilities, who may need the assistance of one or two carers.
The Changing Places Toilets (CPTs), unlike standard accessible toilets, have an adult changing bench and hoist facilities as well as extra space for carers.
It's part of a programme that's being rolled out across England to increase the number of these type of facilities.
In Brighton, it means there will be a total of eight CPTs once the latest ones are built.
This first round of funding will go towards new CPTs in The Ledward Centre, Stanmer Park and Wish Park.
The Ledward Centre and Plumpton College will be looking after the CPTs located near their facilities.
There's also a plan to install a CPT at St Ann’s Well Gardens later on in 2023/24, when the facilities there are refurbished.
Councillor Amy Heley, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee said:
“It really is fantastic news that we’ve been successful in securing the funding to provide more Changing Places facilities.
“This will help us to ensure we are able to provide Changing Places Toilets located conveniently throughout the city for residents and visitors who need to use these facilities, along with their carers.
“In securing this funding, we can ensure they have access to high standard easy to use facilities that provide everything they require.
“We’re really hoping to secure additional funding in the second round of applications so that those who require them are never far away from a Changing Places Toilet.”
The council hopes it will secure more funding for CPTs later this year from a second round of grant applications.
They say there are around 1,300 registered CPTs in England but demand for provision is outstripping supply and the number of CPTs needs to increase to improve access for severely disabled people and their carers.
You can currently find Changing Places Toilets at Shelter Hall, The Colonnade, The Level and The Brighton Centre.
There are others throughout the city that are managed externally to the council.
Visit the Changing Places website to find out more.
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