Only a third of local election candidates in this week’s council elections in England are women, showing that more needs to be done to encourage women into politics, according to a new report.
Data from the Fawcett Society and the Democracy Club also showed that fewer than one in four police and crime commissioner candidates are female.
The Fawcett Society said the findings were worrying, especially as women are already “chronically under-represented” in local government.
Women make up 42 per cent of candidates for the Green party, 39 per cent for Labour, 30 per cent in the Liberal Democrats and 25 per cent in the Conservatives, said the report. Lowest number of women candidates is the Reform Party with 11 per cent, followed by Ukip with 20 per cent.
Just a quarter of candidates in mayoral elections are women, reported the Fawcett Society.
Chief executive Felicia Willow said: “This data is concerning and clearly shows a lack of women in local government. We need to see more women encouraged to get into politics – for many this begins at the local level.
“We need to see all forms of government embrace modernisation. Remote working technology has been used keep local government and Parliament running during the pandemic and, as we build back, flexible working must continue for those who need it.
“We need to see lasting changes to make being a councillor more accessible for everyone – including those with childcare responsibilities and disabled people.
"This will lead to better policy and decision making with a wider range of voices being heard.”
