New toilet rule to change 13,000 loos across UK | UK | News
Thousands of toilets across the UK will need to be refurbished when new guidance on single-sex spaces comes into force. Around 13,000 toilets will be replaced in gyms, hospitals and leisure centers across the country in changes that are claimed to cost the government millions. More than 5,000 changing rooms are also expected to change, meaning at least 18,000 signs will need to be replaced, according to figures obtained by the Press Association.
Public sector bodies, including local councils, could face costs totaling £20.6 million to improve facilities and £14.2 million a year for civil works. However, it is possible for these figures to go even higher.
Codes of practice covering England, Scotland and Wales were published in May, noting that under the Supreme Court’s decision of April 2025, for a service to be classified as single-sex under the Equality Act, it must be provided on the basis of biological sex.
What this means for public spaces such as single-sex toilets, changing rooms and hospital wards is that these spaces should be used according to the gender of the individual rather than the gender they identify with.
The Code has been updated for the first time in more than a decade and was published by the UK Government eight months after it was received from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The government claims it is “taking the time to fix this.”
Restaurants, entertainment centers and hairdressers; public functions such as council services; and associations such as local sports clubs with at least 25 members will all be affected by the updated guidance.
There are still weeks until the code officially comes into force. But when this happens, organizations will need to ensure their facilities meet obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
New data obtained from a Freedom of Information request made to the EHRC by the Press Association reveals a more comprehensive breakdown of the costs along with the number of facilities potentially affected.
The changes to the regulation have been criticized by Trans advocacy groups, who claim it leaves trans people in the UK with “fewer rights”. A motion in the House of Commons calling for this legislation to be scrapped has been signed by more than 160 MPs.
