London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Changing Places toilets for disabled people to be compulsory

Large accessible toilets for severely disabled people - known as Changing Places - will be made compulsory for new buildings in England from 2021.

Shopping centres, supermarkets, sports and arts venues will be required to include at least one Changing Place, a government spokesman said.

The facilities include hoists, changing benches and space for carers.

Campaigner Zack Kerr said the announcement was "nothing short of life changing".

A government spokesman said there were more than 1,400 Changing Places toilets in the UK, compared with 140 in 2007, but more were needed to support about 250,000 severely disabled people.

Many disabled people have spoken about restricting their drinking to avoid needing the toilet when they were out, risking dehydration and urinary tract infections.

Other issues include sitting in soiled clothing or dirty nappies until they find a suitable toilet or returned home, and carers having to change a disabled person on a dirty toilet floor.

Helen Whately, Minister for Care, said "Compulsory Changing Places in new public buildings is a major step in reducing the health inequalities.

"All public spaces should cater for people with disabilities so they don't have to suffer discomfort, embarrassment, or even injury without access to a Changing Place."

The government's announcement will be a major change for building rules in England which now require Changing Places, which are at about 12 sq m, to be designed for new public buildings.

A £30m fund to install Changing Places in existing premises was also announced in March's Budget.

On Sunday, the Department for Transport and Muscular Dystrophy UK announced a £1.27m fund to install 37 more Changing Places at service stations across England.

It means 87 of England's 118 service stations will have the facilities in the next few years.

Zack Kerr, who has cerebral palsy, launched a campaign for more Changing Places after a "distressing" journey from his Lancashire home to south Wales three years ago.

"We stopped at three service stations on route along the M62, M6 and M5 but none of them had an accessible changing facility," he said.

Mr Kerr said when he started his service stations campaign "there were about 10 [Changing Places] in the whole country and none of them were north of Birmingham".

He said he was "especially pleased" there would be more facilities in northern England.

Comments

Edgar Dowell 5 year ago
Make these available for others as well. My wife had Parkinson's and I was her caregiver. She needed my help and it was often difficult to locate a washroom for her. As she progressed through the stages of Parkinson's and the dementia her ability to take care of herself deteriorated. It was after she could not figure out how to get out of a stall and I had to climb over the wall to get inside and unlatch the door that I could no longer allow her to go it alone with me waiting outside. Many, many times I had to have staff member at a business stand by the door to a multi stall washroom keeping other people out or enlist the help of a stranger to do the same. Sometimes there were family washrooms or single washrooms, but even then they were not always accessible. On one occasion I stopped at a petrol station and asked for the key to the washroom and the attendant told me the washrooms were only for customer use. I decided to leave rather than enunciate what was on my mind about this mean spirited person. Although I had not been to this particular gas station, I have purchased gas at other gas stations of the same brand, hundreds, if not thousands of times over the last 58 years and not used their washroom facility. I would have been a customer after the priority item was addressed. I went elsewhere down the road.
Families with small children should also be permitted to use these rooms and adding a changing table for infants would be a great asset. Businesses that cater to families should be required to have at least one of this types of room.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
×