“All parts of local government must be reflective of the communities they represent and be at the forefront of driving the level of change required."
Responding to the IPPR report ‘Power to the people? Tackling the gender imbalance in combined authorities and local government’, Cllr Marianne Overton, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association, said:
“This report rightly highlights that progress in achieving gender balance in local government should be made at a faster pace.
“All parts of local government must be reflective of the communities they represent and be at the forefront of driving the level of change required.
“However, as the report also highlights, change will only come about through a mix of support programmes and direct action from political parties to encourage and sustain aspiring female councillors.
“The LGA’s ‘Be a Councillor’ campaign has a large focus on encouraging women and under-represented groups to engage with and enter politics. We are currently expanding our programme to include female mentors and greater support for young women considering entering local government.
“The LGA is also supporting the Women’s Local Government Society’s project to celebrate the 2018 centenary of women getting the vote and aims to inspire a new generation of women councillors and civic activists.”