Is your council ignoring your rights? Great Women's Rights Network report

[WittyLimeBiscuit]

It's coming up for a year now that the Supreme Court ruling confirmed the obvious — sex means sex, not gender, and the Equality Act protects women's right to single sex spaces and services. Yet more than half the councils in England are refusing to review their policies to ensure they comply with the law.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has repeatedly confirmed there is no need to wait for its guidance. The minister who is supposed to represent women, Bridget Phillipson, has also said the law is "crystal clear" while simultaneously crossing her fingers and stalling publication of the guidance.

Freedom of Information requests by the Women's Rights Network show that 159 councils are "waiting for guidance" and at least 17 have policies which are likely to be unlawful.

You can read their report on the WRN website. It also includes links to the councils' FOI responses (spoiler alert, some couldn't be bothered to respond). https://017ee2dd-4ea6-4d7f-869c-a043485bcc87.filesusr.com/ugd/a86851_f6ac84e65c9747fbb18b96d79839d3a3.pdf

I've written to my local council and ward councillors to let them know this isn't good enough — will you?

So frustrating that councils think they can wait on being compliant with the law. Great report!

Yes my local WRN group has been on this. There are a couple of brave indomitable women who attend council meetings to keep asking this question.

Great stuff. These people are meant to represent us. They need to be reminded of that!

Complaint submitted. Thank you for highlighting this.

Yep, there's mine. Complaint on today's To Do list.

Another excellent report by WRN so much rich data in those responses and lots to follow up locally. A year on and they are still not following the Law as it has always been. We can just add councils to the long list of institutions, organisations etc. who don't think that women matter. Shameful.

Absolutely. There are no excuses.
I look forward to having words with any canvassers who come knocking

Thanks, we can't let them ignore us or the law!

Who should I address to? The elected council leader and COO?

Great report. Now Councils know we are watching them and will hold them fully accountable for their public service responsibilities.

Pleased to see Wandsworth is one of the few that seems to be doing the right thing.
So glad I'm not in Southwark where they punish women who don't want men in their changing room.

I would write to the CEO copy in the useless DEI because no doubt they will forward to them. If you can find the legal team email that would be good too. Also any councillors who are responsible for leisure, women's services etc. Also copy in your local elected councillors as they represent you. The more councillors who hear about the failure to follow the law the better!

What happened in Southwark?

Really great idea to write to your local councillor (and others) to have a moan about their response. I read the report but didn't think of doing that!
My Council's response (describing their masterful inaction) is signed by someone who even adds their she/ her pronouns. Which rather adds insult to injury. Perhaps i will take the opportunity to complain about that, too, because it really REALLY annoys me.

They banned a woman who complained about a man in the female changing rooms.
There's a petition about it here
https://www.change.org/p/require-southwark-council-to-enforce-female-only-changing-rooms

Councils really don't give a toss about complying with the law to uphold the EA and protect women and girls spaces, do they? It's shocking to see quite how bad it is.

I'm disappointed (but sadly not particularly surprised) to see my local council on the list of question swervers. Their non answers are so frustrating to read.

I'll get onto my local council again, it's been a while!

Yep, it's shocking the way councils prioritise mens feelz and throw women under the bus.
We should stay on their case until they start upholding the law.