Why Women’s Votes Matter in Local Elections
Why do women’s votes matter in local elections. It’s your voice. Your community. Your future. Get clued up, use your vote and get politically active!
Local elections shape many of the decisions that most directly affect women’s everyday lives. Voting is one of the main ways women can influence those decisions and ensure their voices and experiences are reflected.
Local decisions disproportionately affect women
Local councils and mayors make decisions about services that women are more likely to use, work in, or rely on, including:
childcare and early‑years provision
social care and carers’ support
housing and homelessness services
public transport and community safety
libraries, leisure, and community centres
Because women still carry a disproportionate share of unpaid care and are over‑represented in lower‑paid public and voluntary sector roles, these policies can have a particularly strong impact on women’s lives.
Local elections influence equality and safety
Local authorities play a key role in:
funding and commissioning violence against women and girls (VAWG) services
setting priorities around community safety, street lighting, and transport access
supporting survivors through housing and safeguarding policies
Voting gives women a say in who is responsible for these priorities and how they are delivered.
Voting protects a hard‑won right
The right to vote was not always guaranteed for women and was achieved through sustained campaigning and sacrifice. Participating in local elections:
honours that history
reinforces women’s political agency
helps prevent women’s voices from being overlooked or sidelined
Voting strengthens accountability
Local politicians are often more accessible than national ones. Voting increases:
accountability for decisions that impact women
responsiveness to local women’s organisations and community groups
pressure on decision‑makers to consult and include women’s perspectives
Your vote is your say in the place where decisions feel closest to home. Local elections matter to women. They shape services, safety, and community life.
Making your mind up- Who to vote for?
Attend Councillor surgeries to ask councillors questions- some may be seeking re-election.
Follow the local parties on social media and watch out for candidate announcements.
Look at Political party websites- see what their values and priorities are.
Getting prepared
Find out what elections are happening in your area. A list of candidates can also be found closer to the time.
Register to vote here: Register to vote - GOV.UK
You can also check the register to ensure you are listed: Contact your electoral registration office - GOV.UK
Women are still under‑represented in local leadership
Women make up over half the population, yet they remain under‑represented in local decision‑making roles such as councillors and council leaders. Voting helps:
support more representative leadership
encourage political parties to take women’s concerns seriously
signal that women expect to be included in local power structures
Higher turnout among women strengthens the case for gender‑balanced leadership.
Getting politically active
If you are a member of a political party contact them about any internal training they have available and check their website.
There are also groups affiliated with the main parties whose sole purpose is to support women of that party to get more involved. This is usually on a subscription basis.
Conservative Party- conservativewomen.uk
Green Party- Welcome to Green Party Women - Green Party Women
Labour Party- Labour Women's Network (lwn.org.uk)
Liberal Democrats- Liberal Democrat Women (libdemwomen.org.uk)
What can you do to get more women elected?
Apolitical or politically neutral groups- (organisation’s who work across all party politics in support of women)
50:50 Parliament- 50:50 Parliament works with all the political parties to help women progress in politics. We are an inclusive, intersectional campaign taking action to build a better democracy by inspiring, encouraging and supporting women with our #AskHerToStand and #SignUpToStand programmes. 50:50 Parliament
ElectHer- We help to demystify politics for women & support them as they move forward at every stage of their political journey. We do this by holding fantastic (in our opinion!) free workshops on a whole range of topics designed for every stage in a woman’s journey into politics, including getting started, exploring roles and how to stand for different positions and parties. Elect Her (elect-her.org.uk)