Lincolnshire town to get four new Changing Toilets

Changing Toilets have hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and spaces for carers

Four new Changing Toilets for people with disabilities who cannot use standard ones are to built in Lincolnshire at a cost of £300,000.

The lavatories will have hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and spaces for carers.

They will be installed in Boston town centre at Central Park, Wide Bargate, Lincoln Lane and Blenkin Memorial Hall.

The council said the new facilities would offer "dignity, confidence and freedom" to users.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, each toilet cost approximately £75,000 due to their size and complexity.

The government has allocated £210,000 of funding, with Boston Borough Council providing £70,000 and Blenkin Memorial Hall making up the remainder for their facility.

Figures from the Changing Places group, say that more than 250,000 people in the UK rely on the special toilets when out and about.

Campaigners have said that the lack of the specialist loos nationally restricts where disabled people can go.

A Boston Council report says: "For a relatively small proportion of match funding, the installation of Changing Places toilets has the potential to change the lives of many disabled individuals, both local to Boston and to potential visitors to the area.

"This initiative therefore contributes to enhancing the lives of everyone and is a positive step for the council to take in this respect.

"By installing them within the town centre, they can also allow Boston to become an end destination for potential visitors and thereby improve the attraction of the town as a place to visit."

There are currently 13 Changing Toilets in Lincolnshire with seven in Lincoln, two each in Boston and Skegness and one in Horncastle and Grantham.

The government announced last year that it was making £30m available for local authorities to build more.