Gender imbalance causing ‘democratic deficit’

New research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has highlighted the challenges of gender equality in local government.

According to the think tank, only 33 per cent of councillors and 17 per cent of council leaders in England are women, with only four per cent of constituent members on the new mayoral combined authority boards being women.

The six new mayoral authorities in West Midlands, Manchester, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley and the West of England are all led by men, with four of the regions without any female constituent members.

Power to the people? Tackling the gender imbalance in local government & combined authorities highlights some of barriers to entering local government and progressing into leadership roles for women, with England needing 3,028 more women to be elected to achieve equal numbers of male and female councillors. This would probably require 12,000 women to apply for elected positions on councils.

The IPPR is calling for leaders of all political parties to commit to achieving a 50:50 balance in male-female party membership, and wanted local authorities to make a commitment that at least 45 per cent of those on combined authority boards are women.

Clare McNeil, IPPR associate director, said: “It cannot be right in 2017 that there are barely any women represented in the leadership of our newest democratic institutions, the combined authorities. Efforts made to address this in Greater Manchester and elsewhere are to be welcomed, but radical change is needed if devolution is to be about bringing power to the people, rather than consolidating it among white middle-aged men.

“Political institutions and parties must introduce more ambitious quotas to improve representation in the short term. And local government should do more to encourage women to stand and support them effectively once they have been selected. Without these measures representation will continue to be deeply unequal.”

Responding to the report, 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.”