Women on Top in Islington! (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Women on Top in Islington!

July 11, 2003 12:00 AM

Following two recent byelections, Islington Council has become one of very few councils in the country indeed to have more female councillors than men. There are now 25 female councillors and 23 male. The controlling Liberal Democrat group has a particularly strong female presence, with 21 female members, and 15 male. Women are in an equally strong position at a senior level, with four of the eight members of the Executive female, and four male. The current Mayor is female, and four of the five Mayors chosen since the Liberal Democrats took control have been female. The Liberal Democrats' candidates for the Islington South & Finsbury and Islington North Parliamentary constituencies, Bridget Fox and Laura Willoughby, are both female. The candidate for the GLA constituency containing Islington, Sarah Teather, is female, as is one other Lib Dem councillor standing for the GLA, Meral Ece. And the Liberal Democrats' Member of the European Parliament for London is former Islington councillor Sarah Ludford. Councillor Laura Willoughby, Executive Member responsible for Equalities and prospective candidate for Islington North, said "Greater representation and diversity in Councils does not happen by accident - often politicians and leaders do not put the effort in to look outside the traditional political structures to find new councillors. "Many women are out there fighting on tenants' associations, running school governing bodies and helping neighbours it takes courage and effort to help them stand for public office." Councillor Willoughby is also Chair of the national Local Government Association's Equalities Committee, which is currently challenging leaders of councils to take issues of diversity in representation more seriously.