Local MP Andrew Percy has taken up the fight on behalf of disabled users of the new toilet facilities at Estcourt Street. The new toilet have been criticised by wheelchair users for a string of failures, making them unusable to many disabled people.
Andrew and Cllr Caroline Fox met Goole resident Sharon Sanderson at the toilets on Saturday afternoon to see the problems for themselves.
Andrew Percy MP says, “It’s important to remain positive about these new toilets as the facilities are generally fantastic and I pay credit to the East Riding for undertaking the project.
However, there are some very serious flaws in terms of the disabled toilets and it is clear that something must have gone wrong during the design phase. Sharon demonstrated many of the problems for me on Saturday, some of which have serious safety implications.
For a start, the ramp is very steep and there are no safety rails along the ramp which could be very dangerous in icy or wet weather. So far as the toilet cubicle is concerned, I was very concerned to see that once inside the toilet, it is impossible for anyone in a wheelchair to actually close the door as there is no bar on the inside of the door. In addition to this, the toilet flush button is impossible for anyone in a wheelchair to reach once you have left the toilet seat and the wash basin is at a height which is unusable by anyone in a wheelchair.
I went into the gents toilet to compare and it would appear that the hand washing basin is at the same height in both toilets. Sharon also had great difficulty in manoeuvring her wheelchair around the cubicle and it is clear that anyone requiring the assistance of a carer would find it almost impossible to receive assistance in the toilet.
Following my meeting with Sharon I made contact with Cllr Ros Jump, Portfolio Holder at East Riding Council, seeking her urgent intervention. Ros assured me that some of these concerns have already been put to her and she asked me to write to her formally listing all of the problems.
Hopefully, the Council will look into these serious design floors and set about rectifying the problems. I shall certainly continue to push them until we have the first class facilities that these toilets can be.”