UK Equality and Human Rights Commission's single‑sex spaces code takes effect
On 5 August 2026 the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released a final Code of Practice on single‑sex spaces that now applies across England, Scotland and Wales. The statutory guidance, which does not create new law, requires public facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, hospital wards and refuges to be organised on the basis of biological sex, following the UK Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling that “sex” in the Equality Act means the sex recorded at birth.
The code estimates that around 13 000 toilets, more than 5 000 changing rooms and about 18 000 signs will need alteration, with costs running into tens of millions of pounds for public bodies. It permits organisations to provide gender‑neutral or separate “third‑space” facilities as alternatives for transgender people.
Trans‑rights groups, including the Good Law Project, have launched a legal challenge, describing the guidance as “transphobic” and warning of a devastating impact on trans people’s daily lives. Council leaders from five London boroughs issued an open letter calling the guidance an “attack on trans people”. The government says the guidance is statutory, not legally binding, but expects it to shape how services operate.
Entities: Bridget Phillipson · Equality and Human Rights Commission · Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) · Good Law Project · Mary‑Ann Stephenson · Paul Perkins (Waltham Forest Council leader) · Trans+ Solidarity Alliance · UK Supreme Court
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 12 SOURCES] The guidance requires single‑sex facilities to be organised on the basis of biological sex, as defined by the UK Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling. (multiple articles)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Council leaders from five London boroughs issued an open letter calling the guidance an attack on trans people. (article 04efee82)
- [● 6 SOURCES] The code allows organisations to provide gender‑neutral or separate “third‑space” facilities as alternatives for trans people. (multiple articles)
- [● 12 SOURCES] The guidance applies to England, Scotland and Wales. (multiple articles)
- [● 12 SOURCES] The new code of practice on single‑sex spaces came into force on 5 August 2026. (multiple articles)
- [● 12 SOURCES] The code is statutory guidance, not legally binding. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Around 13 000 toilets, more than 5 000 changing rooms and about 18 000 signs may need alteration, costing tens of millions of pounds. (multiple articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Good Law Project is supporting a legal challenge against the guidance, describing it as transphobic. (multiple articles)