Telephone Boxes

1,000 KIOSKS STILL UP FOR GRABS

Ahead of the iconic red phone box turning 100 years of age, BT has revealed that around 1,000 of its kiosks are currently up for grabs across the UK. The first incarnation of the famous red phone box was designed for a competition in 1924 by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. In recent years, however, with 98% of the adult population now using a mobile phone, there has been a huge decline in the usage of payphones across the UK. BT is now urging communities to continue to take advantage of its ADPOT A KIOSK scheme to help transform its underused red phone boxes into other purposes. Since BT introduced the programme in 2008, more than 7,200 phone boxes have been taken on by communities across the UK for just £1 each. Redundant phone boxes have been turned into a range of facilities over the years, from defibrillator units and libraries, to mini art galleries and local museums. Michael Smy, Head of Street at BT, said: “It's a great opportunity to remind communities that would still like to retain their local kiosk to take it on. We’ve already seen some great kiosk conversions across the UK that have become valuable community assets.”

Clerks & Councils Direct November 2023

FREE LITTLE LIBRARY

BROSELEY Town Council in Shropshire has opened a Free Little Library in an old BT red telephone box. Its groundsmen repaired and repainted the kiosk on Quarry Road, and books were donated by Broseley Library. The service is proving popular, with a choice of fiction and non-fiction, biographies, romance and children’s books. Residents are also welcome to donate books. Jenna Munday, deputy town clerk, said: “This library doesn’t just belong to the town council; it belongs to the whole town. We hope that it will bring a little more joy, a little more connection and a whole lot more books to our community.”

Clerks & Councils Direct March 2022

BOXING CLEVER
SKEYTON Parish Council in Norfolk recently decided to purchase a defibrillator because the nearest one was a few miles away. The original idea was to place it on the wall of the village hall, according to clerk Diane Fields, but when researching costings the council discovered that a member of the public had contacted Community Heartbeat Trust offering to help fund a defibrillator on condition it was placed in a telephone box. It turned out that her brother, Andrew Williams, had died last year aged 56; he enjoyed holidaying in the county. Consequently the rather sad looking red telephone box in Skeyton was given a makeover by local resident Phil Davison and used to house a new defibrillator, which was part funded by Andrew’s family and dedicated to his memory. The balance came from a grant from North Norfolk District Council and from parish council funds.

Clerks & Councils Direct, September 2021

NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR BT KIOSK
RAYNE Parish Council in Essex held a grand reopening ceremony on 19 June for its repurposed red telephone box. It bought the redundant kiosk from BT for a nominal fee in 2017, and then set about relocating it to a more prominent site in the village.
A district council grant enabled the power to be disconnected by UK Power Networks, before the pandemic temporarily put the project on hold. Eventually, after it was removed from its concrete slab, a local haulage company helped to move it to a new location at Rayne Station.
The box was then refurbished and the Friends of the Flitch Way tidied up its new location and installed a bench next to it. It will now be used as a book swap and information point which, it is hoped, will benefit the village for many years to come. The project was a real community effort, with many people lending a hand at different stages.

Clerks & Councils Direct, September 2021

ACTION STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

WILLOUGHBY District Parish Council near Alford in Lincolnshire covers a number of hamlets. The old red telephone box in one of these hamlets, Sloothby, came up for adoption in 2019 and the council took the opportunity to adopt it. The residents of Sloothby then decided that what they needed was a defibrillator, as it is a rural community accessed via narrow country lanes away from main roads, and they felt that they were vulnerable in an emergency. Under the guidance of Cllrs Havell and Fairfield, the residents raised the money needed and in December 2020, despite the difficulties posed by Covid-19 restrictions, a new defibrillator was installed in the box by Community Heartbeat Trust under a managed arrangement. According to parish clerk Jen Cooper: “This is a massive achievement for a small community and one which needs to be acknowledged.”

Clerks & Councils Direct, March 2021

FIGHT FOR LAST PUBLIC PHONE
BUCKINGHAM Town Council has asked Buckinghamshire Council to conduct a full consultation before the town’s last public phone box is removed. BT has to follow an agreed process when it removes the last public phone in an area and it is the role of the county council, as the planning authority, to decide whether to use its local veto to object.
Councillors oppose the removal of the kiosk on Market Hill, pointing out that it is in the centre of town and accessible to all, especially those who do not have a mobile or unrestricted access to a phone. A means of calling the emergency services is also vital.
The mayor, Cllr Geraldine Collins, said, “It is very important to keep Buckingham's last remaining phone box in place. Not everyone has a mobile phone and in an emergency this is their only point of contact.

Clerks & Councils Direct, November 2020