Ed Pitt Ford, a Conservative councillor, has criticised Westminster City Council for not consulting trans and non-binary communities on new public toilets.
The new toilets – part of the council’s modernisation scheme to freshen up the existing facilities – are set to be split into men’s and women’s toilets.
But Pitt Ford, who is also an LGBT+ Conservatives member, shared images of the plans on social media, taking aim at the council.
I recently discovered that Labour led Westminster City Council didn’t consult the trans and non-binary communities for the refurbishment plans for flagship public toilets at Picadilly Circus, Embankment and Green Park…I urge them to consult non-cisgendered people going forwards. pic.twitter.com/Canojlmwrg
— Cllr. Ed Pitt Ford (@pitt_ford) October 17, 2024
Captioning his post, where the men’s and women’s signs are clearly visible, Pitt Ford took aim at the Labour-led authority for not going far enough to consult the trans community.
He wrote: “I recently discovered that Labour-led Westminster City Council didn’t consult the trans and non-binary communities for the refurbishment plans for flagship public toilets at Piccadilly Circus, Embankment and Green Park.
“I urge them to consult non-cisgendered people going forward.”
Under existing law, transgender people can use the toilet that matches their gender identity but, in 2022, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said that, under the Equality Act, people who do not have a gender recognition certificate could be excluded from single-sex services or facilities, including toilets.