Tens of millions of pounds are set to be spent revamping nearly 13,000 toilets and more than 5,000 changing rooms across Britain, after new guidance on single-sex spaces comes into force in the coming weeks. Figures obtained by the Press Association show that at least 18,000 signs will also need updating in gyms, hospitals, town halls and leisure centres to comply with the code of practice, which requires single-sex facilities to be used on the basis of biological sex.
The updated guidance – published in May, eight months after being handed over from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) – follows the Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that confirmed a service must be classed as single-sex under the Equality Act if it is based on biological sex. This means toilets, changing rooms, hospital wards and refuges must be used according to a person’s birth sex, not their gender identity. The code notes that unisex services such as self-contained lockable cubicles could ensure provision for all, adding that it would be “very unlikely to be proportionate to put a trans person in a position where there is no service that they are allowed to use”.
“Nearly 13,000 toilets and 5,000 changing rooms to be revamped at a cost of millions under new single-sex guidance”
Public-sector bodies, including local councils, are estimated to face unadjusted costs for cleaning the new-look facilities totalling £20.6 million, with building work adding £14.2 million per year – though these sums could rise higher. A financial impact assessment published alongside the code in May included a central estimate of £703.1 million for the total 10-year cost of implementing the required changes, though it provided only limited details of how this would be spent. New data obtained by the Press Association from a Freedom of Information request to the EHRC reveals a fuller breakdown, along with the number of facilities potentially affected.
The code of practice, covering England, Scotland and Wales, was laid in Parliament 40 days ago. Thursday marks the end of the scrutiny period, during which it could have been rejected. Parliamentary procedure means it could still be a number of weeks before the code formally comes into force, however. The updated guidance, which is the first in more than a decade, was published in the face of criticism for the delay, with the Government insisting it was “taking the time to get this right”.
When the code comes into force, service providers such as restaurants, leisure centres and hairdressers; public functions such as council services; and associations such as local sports clubs with at least 25 members will have to make changes to their amenities to meet obligations under the 2010 Equality Act. With the clock ticking on implementation, councils and businesses are now facing a multi-million-pound bill to bring their facilities into line.