Councillors used as ‘public punchbags’ puts women off from standing for council
Councillors being used as‘public punchbags’ will continue to put off women and minorities from standing for office unless there is a change in attitudes.
South Ayrshire Labour group leader councillor Brian McGinley says abuse of councillors is just one the factors in the low numbers of female candidates standing at the local election.
May’s elections will see just 14 female candidates stand for election to South Ayrshire Council.
Labour will only have one female candidate out of the eight it is standing.
Cllr McGinley outlined why he believes fewer women have stood for Labour at this election .
He said:“In the past Labour had a higher number of women standing than other parties, due to our identification of women only wards, and therefore the drop is from a higher base as the number of councillors has reduced.
“I think that the amount of constant criticism and name calling through the local press on local councillors, of all persuasions, has prevented local women and others from standing.
“This includes the publishing of a constant barrage of letters from a small number of locals seeking to undermine the Council’s genuine efforts to improve local circumstances with Councillors’integrity and motivations being unfairly questioned.
“This needs to be challenged because it encourages people to treat elected members as ‘public punch bags’.”
He added:“There has traditionally been concern about the job of a politician not being family friendly as well as little encouragement and little social expectations in childhood perpetuated through schools and in families.
“We need to articulate and respect that most local politicians are doing their best for their community in spite of some current national leaders letting the side down with Covid law breaking and parties as well as having a scant relationship with the truth.”
And he went on:“If we want genuine local people, especially representatives of minority groups, to stand for local council in the future then we need to treat them with respect and support them to carry out this demanding role on our behalf.”
Cllr McGinley, who will be standing in the Ayr East ward, said Labour was committed to ‘increasing the representation of women and other under- represented groups at every level of politics’.
“We are proud that across the party we have more women and BAME MPs than any of the other political parties,”he added.
And Mr McGinley pointed out:“It was Labour who changed the law to allow political parties to use All- Women shortlists to select parliamentary candidates.”