Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has secured the backing of the Tees
Valley Combined Authority Cabinet for a new requirement ensuring
organisations working with the public body comply with new legal
guidance on single sex spaces.
Under the new provision, any organisation entering into contracts
with the Combined Authority will be required to demonstrate
adherence to the legal position established by the Supreme Court
in April 2025 on the Equality Act 2010's definition of sex,
as well as the recent Employment Tribunal ruling in relation to
single sex spaces in the Darlington Nurses case.
The move proposed by the Tees Valley Mayor came as part of
discussions of the Combined Authority's procurement &
commercial strategy, where he requested the inclusion of an
additional clause to reflect concerns raised by members of the
public during a recent Mayoral Question Time in Darlington.
The amendment was unanimously agreed by Cabinet. The decision
will ensure that all suppliers and contractors operating with the
Combined Authority are aligned with current legal
requirements.
Failure to comply with the law would constitute a breach of
contract, giving the Combined Authority grounds to take action,
and will extend to existing contracts.
The proposal comes after the revelation that the County Durham
and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust spent more than £600,000
defending an employment tribunal case against the Darlington
Nurses, in which the trust was found to have harassed a group of
female nurses by requiring them to share a changing room with a
transgender woman.
The Mayor said the inclusion of the clause is a move in favour of
common sense and will back rights of women to access single sex
spaces, while ensuring the Combined Authority upholds the law.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “The Darlington Nurses case
shows exactly what happens when public bodies lose grip of common
sense and spend exorbitant amounts of taxpayer cash defending the
indefensible.
“Not only was the ruling a victory for the brave nurses who took
forward the case, it was a victory for dignity, privacy and
common sense. The truth is that these women should never have had
to go to a tribunal to defend their basic right to access single
sex spaces.
“While we continue the important job of bringing investment and
jobs to Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool, we have a duty to
make sure public money is spent with organisations that are
absolutely clear on their responsibilities and operate fully
within the law, and I'm pleased Cabinet has backed this
unanimously.”
