Plea for Herefordshire women to stand in upcoming elections

Women in Herefordshire are being encouraged to stand for election locally, including in this May’s county elections.

Herefordshire Women’s Equality Group (WEG) is holding a women-only meeting at De Koffie Pot in Hereford on Saturday February 4 between 10 and 11.30am, to allow women interested in the idea to network and hear from current women councillors about their work and election campaigning experiences.

A 2021 survey by the group found women were under-represented on four-fifths of Herefordshire’s 134 parish councils, with seven having no female councillors at all.

Currently Herefordshire’s county council has 30 male councillors and 23 female, a 57:43 percentage split.

County councillor and WEG member Yolande Watson said: “It’s not too late to stand for election on 4 May.”

She urged those interested to contact agents for the county’s political parties.

“If you are already a ward or parish councillor and you’d like to share your experience at the Saturday meeting, do let us know,” she added.

Grants of £500 are available from campaign group Elect Her to help women with the costs of standing for election in May, with additional access funds for deaf and disabled women.

Applications, which can be submitted here, must be received by midnight of Sunday January 22.