“INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day takes place on the Saturday, March 8. #Accelerate Action is our theme – but what does this mean? Hurry… hasten… quicken…
But what does this mean for me, as a Dumfries and Galloway local councillor?
By way of a background, I have been in the privileged position where twice I have asked my community in Galloway to vote for me. Twice I have been successful in that endeavour. Eight years into this role, the opportunity to be an SNP democratically elected representative to Dumfries and Galloway Council is still one I highly value.
I’ve managed to achieve a national position as resources spokesperson for local government. I lead national budget negotiations with Scottish Government and pay negotiations with all trade unions across Scotland’s councils. These issues attract a significant amount of media attention, and both regularly take me to our Scottish Parliament. Whether it is to present evidence to committee or to meet directly with Scottish Government, Ministers, or opposition MSPs on each of these occasions, I am acutely aware that I represent more than just local government. I am a woman with lived experience, and I am representing women in politics.
My route into politics wasn’t planned or expected. As a dyslexic, single mother working part time, I deeply cared for our communities. I had a clear understanding that people needed to see value in our council and councillors making the decisions.
I possibly didn’t fully understand what I was signing up for however, I knew that our council needed diversity. I knew our council needed women to be at the decision-making table. And I knew that our council needed women with lived experience to step forward. An opportunity presented itself, and I grabbed hold of it with both hands!
The 2017 D&G Council election saw 43 councillors elected – eight out of 43 of which were women, a mere 19 per cent. I was rather taken aback when I found myself in a room with 21 others and found myself the only woman. I had read about such situations but here I was, in a large meeting room, surrounded by official looking people, ALL of which were men. I was also very much at the younger end of the age scale, in my late 30s, and it was at this point I truly understood what it was like to be in a minority.
In 2022, the number of women in the council had increased by six. Now up to 14 women out of 43 and while better, we still only represented 33 per cent of council.
Nationally this thorny issue is widely recognised and acknowledged. Locally we have never elected a woman to Parliament in Galloway and West Dumfries (and formerly Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency). We have also never elected an MP to Westminster for this area.
I am clear that if given the opportunity to stand, I wish to challenge this. Not because I am a woman, but because I would champion and deliver for the region. However, I would take my experience as a woman with me.
COSLA, who work across all councils in Scotland, have a cross party working group investigating the barriers to elected office. Scottish Ministers commissioned an independent review of councillor remuneration, and it highlighted the barriers faced by women. Last month the UK Government committed to enact Section 106 of the Equalities Act. This requires political parties to publish data relating to the diversity of their candidate selections. It highlights that every party has a duty to demonstrate greater progress towards better representation.
Everyone agrees that action must take place.
I will continue to work with national organisations to support women in politics. I work with Elect Her and Engender as organisations who are doing a lot of heavy lifting. As the SNP national women’s convenor, I am leading work to support women across Scotland. And locally I volunteer as a mentor for the D&G Young Women Network.
However, locally the question remains, how can we ensure that at least 22 women will be elected to Dumfries and Galloway council in 2027?
The reality is that without sustained and proactive efforts by all, regression is all but guaranteed. If ever there was a need to renew our commitment to gender balanced political representation, now is the time.
In light of this year’s theme for International Women’s Day, it is time for everyone across our communities to commit to #Accelerated Action.”
