Council to review toilets after stoma campaign

3 hours ago

Holly PhillipsEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

Jenna Robinson, of Beverley Stoma Support Group, says she felt "very emotional" at the meeting

BBC Jenna Robinson is smiling into the camera. She has long blonde hair and is wearing a white top. She is standing in a public toilet which has white tiles on the wall and a long mirror. On a shelf next to her is a beige gingham bag which says "STOMA STUFF" in capital letters. — Jenna Robinson, of Beverley Stoma Support Group, says she felt "very emotional" at the meeting

Councillors have unanimously voted to review public toilets in East Yorkshire following a campaign for stoma-friendly facilities.

Jenna Robinson, 38, founder of the Beverley Stoma Support Group, asked East Riding of Yorkshire Council to install a shelf in every standard disabled toilet so people with stomas would have somewhere to place their medical items.

At a council meeting on Wednesday, 57 councillors voted to pass the motion, which was put forward by Councillor Denis Healy, to review all public conveniences.

"I'm just absolutely over the moon that I've been listened to and it's just a massive step forward," Robinson said. "It'll change so many lives."

"I know that Rome wasn't built in a day but we've got the ball rolling," she added.

The motion will now go to the council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which will look at how Robinson's request can be implemented.

Robinson was fitted with a stoma in November 2025 after living with slow transit constipation for eight years, which she said was "literally ruining my life".

The devices attach to a hole – or stoma – in the abdomen, allowing waste to be diverted out of the body.

More than 200,000 people live with a stoma in the UK, according to Colostomy UK.

'Absolutely delighted'

Robinson said the council's decision "gives us a little bit of a nod that we're not going to be forgotten about".

"If we can get this out there, so many people will just be able to walk into a toilet, not even have to worry anymore."

Healy, a councillor for St Mary's ward in Beverley, said: "It was emotional, but I'm absolutely delighted with the result that we got in the end."

He said he would be contacting other local councils and hoped they would follow suit.

"For it to work across the country, it really is important that local councils do what we've done, recognise the importance of this and really give people a voice," he said.

Robinson added: "I'm just hoping that this change can make a good and positive impact on people's lives now."

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