Tens of millions of pounds to be spent revamping nearly 13,000 toilets and 5,000 changing rooms across Britain so they are compliant with new guidance on single-sex spaces

Published: 00:01, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 00:03, 9 July 2026 Tens of millions of pounds will be spent revamping nearly 13,000 toilets and 5,000 changing rooms across Britain so they are compliant with new guidance on single-sex spaces. At least 18,000 signs may also need tweaking in gyms, hospitals, town halls and leisure centres to ensure transgender people use the correct facilities, figures show. Today marks the end of a 40-day scrutiny period of the guidance in Parliament – it was not rejected during this time, so it will come into force in the coming days. Drawn up by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in May, as part of an update to its Code of Practice, the guidance states that any service must be offered to people on the basis of biological sex rather than their self-identified gender. It covers England, Scotland and Wales. The guidance was released after a landmark Supreme Court judgment on single-sex spaces in April last year – which stated that the definition of a woman for the purposes of the Equality Act is based on biology rather than gender identity. Signs such as these may need tweaking or replacing to ensure that single-sex spaces are protected At the time, a financial impact assessment estimated it could cost public and private buildings £703million to implement over ten years. New figures reveal it is expected to affect 12,895 toilets, 5,526 changing rooms and 18,422 signs. An estimate of the cost to public sector facilities is £20.6million, followed by £21million for the voluntary sector and £188.6million for the private sector. Alongside cleaning and construction costs, the £703million also covers spending for training staff on the changes to the code as well as organisations having to update their internal policies on who is allowed to use specific toilets and changing-rooms. The data, obtained by the Press Association from a Freedom of Information request to the EHRC, revealed the fuller breakdown of costs, along with the number of facilities potentially affected.  A Government spokesman said: 'Many businesses will already be largely compliant with the code so there will be no cost at all. 'For those that do need to make changes, these are likely to be small, such as changing signs on existing facilities.'