Gender inequality means local government ‘not fit for the future’

Local government is ‘not fit for the future’ as a result of outdated gender attitudes, a new report says.

The final report of the Fawcett Society’s Local Government Commission concludes that local government needs women to progress in the future, while revealing that a mere four per cent of local councils in England have a formal maternity, paternity or parental leave policy in place for councillors. Some have informal arrangements, but 75 per cent who responded to the report said they had nothing on offer for women councillors who get pregnant.

The report also reveals that women are outnumbered six to one in Finance or Economic Development roles, which usually lead to the top. This explains why just 17 per cent of council leaders are women - a figure that has barely changed for ten years.

Other findings of the report include: help with the costs of childcare is patchy, with some councils not offering any help at all; technology cannot be used by councillors to attend meetings remotely, creating additional barriers for women, especially those with caring responsibilities; and sexism is commonplace in local government with four in 10 female councillors having experienced sexism from within their own party.

Additionally, 80 per cent of council seats go to incumbents at each election making it very difficult for women and minority groups to break through - 1 in 4 of thee are women - and women make up just 33 per cent of council chief executives, yet 78 per cent of council employees are women.

The report makes a number of recommendations to the government, political parties and local councils in order to drive change. The Commission, in order to get more women into the roles, calls for all parties to for the first time set targets for getting more women councillors in, and make it a legal requirement to get 45 per cent women candidates if they do not make progress.

The report comes after a year-long study conducted by the Fawcett Society in partnership with the Local Government Information Unit which asked ‘Does Local Government Work for Women?’.

Sam Smethers, Fawcett Society Chief Executive, said: “Local government is increasingly important for all our lives, but particularly for women. Yet significant barriers remain preventing their participation. This was the picture across all political parties. But many of the changes that are needed, such as a maternity policy for councillors, are relatively easy to introduce.

“As we get ready to mark next year’s centenary of women’s votes and the first women MPs to be elected we have to ask ourselves how we have managed to create new devolved institutions that are even more male dominated than local authorities. We are going backwards and that is fundamentally unacceptable in 21st century.

“Just one in three local councillors is a woman, and the pace of change is slow, going up by just 5 per cent points since 1997. In county councils, which went to the polls this May, it will take until 2065 to reach equality. In the new devolved Combined Authorities the picture is even worse. All 6 elected metro mayors are men and just 12 per cent of Combined Authority representatives are women.”

Dame Margaret Hodge MP, co-chair of the Commission, said: “I led a Council 25 years ago and I have been shocked during the course of this review to find how little has changed and how few improvements have been made towards equality in local government. The way councils do business is still designed by, and for, men. This needs to change, and fast. Currently local government is not fit for purpose and does not work for women.”

Marianne Overton, vice chair of the Local Government Association, has since responded to the report, saying: “The report rightly identifies that progress must be made at a faster pace to ensure a greater representation of women in our local authorities. It is important that local government reflects the communities it represents and the LGA is leading the Be A Councillor campaign, which includes a focus on encouraging women and under-represented groups to engage with and enter politics.

“Local government must be at the forefront of driving change, but it will be important to get the balance right between changing culture and imposing structures. Change will also require all political parties, no matter the colour of their rosette, to fully engage and support a wide range of aspiring councillors. Among other things, the LGA is also supporting the Women’s Local Government Society’s project to identify 100 pioneers in women’s suffrage, who went on to use the vote to bring tangible benefits to their communities. The project celebrates the 2018 centenary of women getting the vote and aims to inspire a new generation of women councillors and civic activists.”