Stamford Town Council approves money for a Changing Places accessible toilet in the town

An accessible toilet facility could be built to make a town centre more welcoming for all.

Stamford is eligible for £40,000 of government funding to put towards a Changing Places toilet.

It would be designed specifically for those who cannot use a standard accessible toilet, allowing more space for medical equipment and up to two carers.

On Tuesday evening Stamford Town Council agreed to put £20,000 towards the cost, with the remainder coming from the government’s Levelling Up, Housing and Communities fund. Town councillors had previously voted against the spend, but councillor Kelham Cooke urged them to reconsider.

He said: “It would be a shame to lose the opportunity of doing this. It’s a small amount of money which will make a real difference to people who need our help.”

The government’s share of the funding will be withdrawn if it isn’t spent by March 2024.

Town councillor Jo Winterbourne urged members to back the idea. She said: “We’re talking about people with serious learning difficulties. They don’t go anywhere if there isn’t the ability for them to be changed, and I don’t want them to stop going out because there isn’t space to do that.

“I understand we have a financial issue but we have to think about all the other things we are here for. We won’t get the opportunity to do this again because we won’t be able to do it without this financial help.”

Seven councillors voted against the spend due to financial concerns, but it was approved by a majority of eight. The money will come from the council’s special reserves fund which currently stands at £67,000.

The proposed location for the toilet is the Cattle Market car park. The Changing Places facilities tend to have extra features such as curtains, adult-sized changing benches and hoists.