A new range of specialised toilets with beds and screens for people with complex needs are to be introduced in public buildings across Belfast.
At the most recent Belfast City Council committee meeting, elected members agreed to approve a policy in which the local authority commits to providing a “Changing Places” facility in every large building it owns. It will also make sure every large event held in council land will have Changing Places facilities provided by the private contractor.
The approval comes over three years after a motion put forward by former Alliance Councillor Ross McMullan.
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In September 2021 Councillor McMullan described Changing Places facilities as “specialised toilet facilities which make public places and spaces accessible and inclusive for everyone, including children, adults and older people with complex needs or mobility issues.”
He said: “(The motion) is about dignity and participation. It is about the human right to sanitation that entitles everyone without discrimination to sanitation, to have physical and affordable access to sanitation.
“It’s about disabled people to have the right to live independently and participate fully and in all aspects of life. But as it stands not everyone enjoys those rights. Still today people are changed on dirty toilet floors, or are excluded entirely from parts of our city.
“This council has a role to ensure that all our facilities and events are accessible to everyone. This council has a responsibility to lead on these issues, to lead on accessibility and inclusion, because if we don’t, then what are we actually here for?”
At the December 2024 meeting of the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, elected members saw the former councillor's motion come to fruition by approving the council’s final draft policy on the matter. The policy was drafted after the council went to public consultation on plans for the new toilet facilities.
90 people responded to the public consultation. 75.4 percent of the respondents agreed with the draft Changing Places Toilet Policy, with a smaller percentage, 17.9 percent disagreeing.
66 percent of the respondents said they used public parks at least once a week. 39.7 percent of the respondents had a disability, while 57.5 percent were carers or dependents.
The S,P and R report states: “The final draft policy now states that ‘the council will commit to’ instead of ‘the council will strive to’ provide as required a Changing Places facility in every large building. Also, the council will make it a commitment for large events being organised by external organisers/promoters to provide CPT facilities.
“The council will also make an effort to include Changing Places facilities or to make toilet provision more accessible when extending or extensively refurbishing an existing council-owned building when it is reasonable to do so.”
The report adds: “Members will note that the council has received several requests recently in relation to improving physical access within council toilets, including requests from a number of campaigns in relation to Stoma Friendly toilets and also correspondence from the Crohn’s and Colitis UK campaign “Not Every Disability Is Visible”.
“These campaigns have each requested the introduction of disposable facilities with accompanying signage/posters promoting the various causes. It is proposed that in response to such requests, that officers advise that one of the first steps in the implementation of the CPT policy will be an audit of all accessible toilet provision across the Council estate.
“The purpose of this review would be to help identify any gaps and to quantify the level of resources which would be required to upgrade toilets and increase accessibility in order to make the toilets stoma, Crohn's and colitis friendly.”
At the S,P and R meeting SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite successfully proposed allowing campaigning groups and individuals to come to the council to make further representations and suggestions on the council policy
Green Councillor Áine Groogan also successfully proposed the council make a map for the public of where all Changing Places toilets are across the city in the future, not only in council facilities.
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