Lambeth Council to Challenge New Single-Sex Space Guidelines

July 26, 2026

South London News On Your Doorstep Desk Edited By Jimmy Nsubuga

Lambeth Council has signalled its intention to challenge new guidance concerning access to single-sex spaces, citing concerns that the guidelines risk "leaving trans people open to discrimination." The decision was made following a motion at a Full Council meeting, where councillors backed a call for the council to refuse to implement the "Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations," provided its legal team confirms such a move would be lawful.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published the updated code following a Supreme Court judgment in April 2025, which ruled that "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refers to sex assigned at birth. The draft code clarifies that service providers may legally restrict single-sex spaces, including changing rooms, to biological sex. However, the motion passed by Lambeth councillors condemned the draft code as "incoherent and self-contradictory, discriminatory, and impossible to implement in a reasonable and proportionate manner." It further called on the council to "protect LGBTQIA+ workers and service users" by refusing to implement the guidelines.

Concerns over Discriminatory Impacts

Councillor Natalie Kane, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Inclusion, Democracy and Culture, stated that the guidelines would have "significant negative impacts for many across the borough, in the first instance the LGBTQIA+ community." She added, "For trans, intersex and gender non-conforming individuals, as well as those men and women who do not fit normative social representations of gender, these guidelines present the danger of discrimination and prejudice in the spaces where we should be prioritising care, support and service provision." Councillor Kane emphasised, "Trans women are women, trans men are men, Trans rights are human rights. Let us work together to build a Lambeth that is fair, equitable, and just."

Legal Review and Policy Development

The motion specifically requested that council officers advise on the legality of refusing to implement the EHRC guidelines. If officers advise that non-implementation is a lawful option, the council intends to proceed with this course of action. Furthermore, councillors endorsed a plan for Lambeth Council to develop its own policy for its workplaces and services. This policy aims to "protect and champion transgender and non-conforming people’s right to basic dignity and respect for their private life."

The EHRC's final code of practice is set to come into force on August 5, 2026. This guidance, while not law itself, provides direction on how service providers should apply the Supreme Court's ruling in practice. The average Band D council tax in London for 2026-27 is projected to be £2,068. Lambeth falls within the mid-range for council tax in London, with rates typically between £1,400 and £1,800 at Band D.

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South London News On Your Doorstep Desk Edited By Jimmy Nsubuga

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