Ringing in the changes with phone boxes

But do we still need public payphones now 98 per cent of us own a mobile phone with 3G or 4G coverage?

Sheffield Council argues that yes, we do – phones in poorer neighbourhoods in the city still have hundreds of calls made from them each year.

And the council says places such as Bradfield village, which has poor mobile coverage, would be left isolated if its public phone was disconnected.

BT wants to remove 27 phone boxes in the city but the council asked for a breakdown of the calls made on each phone in a year.

The phone box near the junction of Northern Avenue at Arbourthorne is the most well-used in the city with 568 calls.

By contrast, phone boxes at Crosspool, Prince of Wales Road, Chapeltown and Handsworth didn’t have one single call in a year.

The council says the high number of calls shows there is still a social need for public payphones.

It consulted with people and in a report says: “There were 29 comments received and eight generic comments. Some of these related to general objections to the removal of all public call boxes as they need to be kept for emergencies, including personal safety reasons, given that mobile phone networks are poor and issues of mobile phone affordability.”

We’re listening, say BT

BT says 98 per cent of people now have a mobile phone and 999 calls can be made even when people have no credit or coverage.

Liz Needleman, BT group spokesperson for the North of England, said: “Most people now have a mobile phone and calls made from our public telephones have fallen by around 90 per cent in the past decade.

“We consider a number of factors before consulting on the removal of payphones, including whether others are available nearby and how frequently they are used.

“The payphones in Northern Avenue and Longley Avenue West are used, on average, less than twice a day by the community.

“However, the consultation process allows us to understand any objections, and all views and feedback will be carefully considered before a decision is made.

“The need to provide payphones for use in emergency situations is also diminishing all the time, with at least 98 per cent of the UK having either 3G or 4G coverage.

“This is important because as long as there is network coverage, it’s now possible to call 999, even when there’s no credit or no coverage from your own mobile provider.”

The future of the famous red boxes

Some of the people who responded to the council’s consultation suggested new uses for the iconic red phone boxes.

The council report says: “The potential to reuse public call boxes as local book swaps with donations going back into the local community or using them to accommodate defibrillators were other comments.”

BT says it offers communities the chance to adopt traditional red heritage phone boxes for just £1 through its Adopt a Kiosk scheme and transform them into something inspirational for their local area. Visit bt.com/adopt for more details.

Bradfield Village’s lifeline

There were 42 calls made from the payphone at Woodfall Lane in Bradfield last year, none of them emergency ones.

But several community groups want to keep the phone and the council agrees.

In a report it says: “Minimal usage would suggest little social need, however the site falls within Bradfield village where mobile signals are poor and the village is isolated.”

There were 18 replies to the consultation, including Bradfield Parish Council, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Loxley Protection Society and Sheffield Walking Forum.

The council says: “These objections relate to poor network coverage and how this kiosk is accessible and reliable; health and safety issues of having no provision for emergencies; the poor reliability of public transport and there is no other means due to poor network to contact others either to be collected or inform them of being late or safe.

“There was a comment that the closure would undermine the lottery-funded Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Area Connecting Steps project that encourages vulnerable groups to visit the outdoors which includes the confidence to be independent in getting there by public transport – kiosks are important when there is no or poor mobile network and provide reassurance to groups that the trip is possible.”

999 emergency

A payphone at Margate Drive, Grimesthorpe, had the most number of emergency calls with 39 out of a total of 158 calls.

The council says: “High usage would suggest at least some social need for a payphone. The housing in the area has the potential to include low-income households.”

Permanently engaged

The phone box near the junction of Northern Avenue at Arbourthorne is the most well-used in the city with 568 calls.

The council says: “A ward councillor supports the objection to the loss of this payphone, serving residents in both Southey and Burngreave wards, due to its high usage and the low income area.”

Dead tone

Seven phone boxes didn’t have one single call made during a year.

These were at Crosspool, Prince of Wales Road, Chapeltown and Handsworth and most had an alternative phone box within 800 metres.

Worrall Road payphone only had three calls, although one was made in an emergency.