Summary
Trans Women and Single-Sex Spaces: 2026 UK Council FOI Report : The purpose of this investigation was to gather data-driven evidence regarding the number of complaints there were in 2025 regarding transgender women using single-sex public facilities operated by all the English unitary authorities.
Trans Women and Single-Sex Spaces: 2026 UK Council FOI Report
Aim and Methodology: Investigating Single-Sex Space Complaints
The purpose of this investigation was to gather data-driven evidence regarding the number of complaints there were in 2025 regarding transgender women using single-sex public facilities operated by all the unitary authorities in England.
By analysing a robust sample of local government data, this survey assesses whether the inclusion of trans women in female-designated spaces leads to operational friction or public complaints. As a follow-up to previous research on single-sex spaces, this 2026 report tracks ongoing trends and identifies changes in public reporting behaviour over time.
Sixty of the sixty-two Unitary Authorities responded to our FOI request – Only ONE complaint was found.
Target Sample: English Unitary Authorities
To ensure highly representative results while maintaining administrative efficiency, the survey targeted all 62 Unitary Authorities in England – Only Southampton and Derby failed to respond to our request.
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Population Coverage: This sample covers a total population of approximately 17 million people—representing over 25% of the English population (roughly 60 million).
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Geographic Focus: The scope was restricted to England to streamline the Freedom of Information (FOI) data collection process across the UK’s largest population base.
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Source Selection: Unitary Authorities were identified via verified public records, and individual council websites were audited to secure direct contact channels for official FOI requests.
Legal Context: Post-For Women Scotland Judgment
This survey covers a 12-month period, approximately eight months of which occurred following the For Women Scotland Supreme Court judgment in April 2025. This timeline provides a critical baseline to evaluate whether high-profile legal clarifications on biological sex and the Equality Act 2010 influenced the volume of formal complaints.
Click on the ‘View PDF’ to see the reply from the Unitary Authority (for any missing in the table below, please email: contact@translucent.org.uk and we will forward you a copy)
The FOI Survey Questions
In mid-March 2026, standardised FOI requests were submitted to all 62 identified councils. To ensure data integrity and a prompt response rate, the questions targeted a specific, consolidated timeframe: 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 (inclusive).
Councils were asked to supply the following data under the Freedom of Information Act:
The FOI Request Read:
“Please supply the number of recorded incidents or formal complaints where a transgender woman (with a Gender Recognition Certificate or the protected characteristic of gender reassignment under the Equality Act) entered or used female-only services and facilities, specifically:
a. Public toilets within public buildings (excluding domestic dwellings).
b. Staff and visitor toilets.
c. Changing rooms and locker facilities within public buildings.
Survey Responses and Data Breakdown
By early May 2026, responses had been successfully retrieved from 60 of 62 authorities, representing an exceptional 96% response rate.
The data from the 60 responding local authorities breaks down as follows:
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Zero Complaints Recorded (35 Councils): The clear majority (35 authorities) explicitly responded with “None,” “Nil,” or “Zero” recorded complaints.
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No Tracked Data (10 Councils): Four authorities stated they do not hold data; five had no records available; and one (North Yorkshire) noted that they do not track this specific category of complaint, presumably because they, like so many other councils, have not received such complaints in the past.
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Section 12 Exemptions (4 Councils): Four authorities claimed a statutory cost and time exemption, stating that extracting the specific data would exceed reasonable resource limits.
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Recorded Concerns (1 Council): Only one local authority (York) reported a single logged concern.
Case Study: City of York Council Response
The single concern recorded across the 17-million population sample was detailed by York as follows:
“The above services are provided by 3rd parties and I can confirm there has only been one (1) concern raised regarding the above issues….
Summary Table of UK Council FOI Responses (2025 Data)
| Council Response Type | Number of Unitary Authorities | Percentage of Total Responses |
| Zero (0) Complaints Logged | 35 | 58.3% |
| No Data / Records Maintained | 10 | 16.7% |
| Section 12 Exemption Claimed | 4 | 6.7% |
| Active Concern/Complaint Logged | 1 (York) | 1.7% |
| No Response Received | 2 | 3.3% |
Conclusion regarding this investigation.
The findings of the Trans Women and Single-Sex Spaces: 2026 UK Council FOI Report demonstrate an overwhelming absence of complaints regarding trans women using single-sex spaces. With only one documented concern raised across a population sample of 17 million people over an entire year, the empirical data remain entirely consistent with previous baseline surveys.
Furthermore, the data indicate that high-profile legal changes—specifically the For Women Scotland judgment—have not led to an increase in formal complaints or incidents in local authority-owned public buildings, toilets, or changing facilities. However, this investigation just forms part of a much larger picture.
The Broader Context: TransLucent’s Other Investigations
Prior to the latest investigation, TransLucent has conducted six separate, comprehensive Freedom of Information (FOI) investigations spanning 382 FOI requests.
By looking at the broader dataset, we can cross-reference local council findings with data from NHS Hospital Wards and a Domestic Abuse Refuge investigation to see if a systemic pattern of complaints exists across public infrastructure.
1. NHS Hospital Wards: Addressing the Ward ‘Invasion’ Narrative
Between April 2020 and August 2023, TransLucent submitted several waves of FOI requests to healthcare providers to investigate whether women inpatients objected to sharing spaces with transgender women.
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Initial Inpatient Trajectory (102 Requests): Across 102 individual FOI requests to NHS foundation trusts regarding whether any female patient formally complained about a trans woman being on their ward, zero trusts identified a single complaint.
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NHS Same-Sex Accommodation Survey (180 Requests): In a massive follow-up in February 2024 (authored by former NHS Director Rob Cleary), targeting 130 acute trusts and 50 mental health trusts, providers were asked to disclose formal written complaints regarding trans women sharing wards or women-only day rooms. Out of 157 substantive responses, only one acute trust reported a single complaint, which was not classified as a serious incident.
2. Domestic Abuse Refuges: Safety Through Individual Risk Assessments
Critics of trans-inclusive policies frequently focus on domestic violence shelters. TransLucent investigated how these facilities balance inclusivity with the safety of vulnerable trauma survivors.
The data and sector audits revealed that claims of trans women disrupting these spaces are entirely unverified by service records. Instead, the domestic abuse sector successfully utilises a mixed-model approach:
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Tailored Care: Combining communal refuges with independent living configurations.
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Evidence Over Blanket Bans: Relying on robust, individualised risk-assessment procedures rather than discriminatory, blanket exclusions. When exclusions do occur, they typically reflect the pre-existing ideological stance of explicitly trans-hostile providers rather than a reaction to problematic behaviour by trans women seeking safety.
Macro Analysis: 4 Complaints Out of Millions of Citizens
When consolidating the findings of the six previous national investigations—covering local councils, health services, and specialised shelters—the disconnect between public rhetoric and operational reality is profound:
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Total Public Bodies Polled: 382 (three hundred and eighty two)
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Total Confirmed Complaints Logged: 4 (four).
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Nature of the Complaints: Of the four recorded complaints over three years of public service interactions, one was an objection to policy design rather than an incident involving an individual.
Why Does Public Rhetoric Conflict with FOI Data?
The data highlights three core systemic issues driving the manufactured panic over single-sex spaces:
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Media Conflation: Public media and political commentary frequently present hypothetical anxieties or highly coordinated online campaigns as if they were real, documented physical incidents occurring in local communities.
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Preemptive Policy Shift: Some public organisations (including universities) have begun implementing restrictive facility policies based entirely on anticipated backlash, effectively addressing an operational crisis that the evidence shows does not exist.
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Redefining Definitions: The phrase “single-sex spaces” has been weaponised into a political litmus test, shifting the conversation away from practical facility management toward ideological positioning. By focusing strictly on recorded complaints, this FOI data filters out political posturing and captures actual, documented service disruptions.
Conclusion
With only one concern highlighted in our 2025 Unitary Authorities audit—and a mere four complaints documented across 382 public bodies nationwide in previous investigations—the data overwhelmingly contradicts the narrative that trans inclusion threatens the safety or dignity of single-sex spaces.
In total, TransLucent has now submitted 444 FOI requests, covering over four years and found just 5 complaints about a trans woman using a single sex space.
References regarding the 2026 investigation.
Local Government in England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_England
List of English Unitary Authorities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unitary_authorities_of_England
Trans Women and Single-Sex Spaces: 2026 UK Council FOI Report
