Scott notes success of Wicklow Women Councillors Caucus
Cllr Lourda Scott concludes her term as the Chair of the first Wicklow Women Councillors Caucus, a cross party grouping aimed at facilitating collaboration among women councillors and addressing the unique challenges they face.
Throughout the last 3 years, the caucus has focused on practical initiatives to empower women to stay engaged in politics and consider running for local elections. Training programmes and networking events were implemented to enhance the skills of women in political roles and increase the visibility of female Councillors.
Scott said “One of the reasons that spurred me into running for election was that I didn’t see enough women either in local or national government. Since being elected in 2019 I see first hand how important it is to have a diversity of voices present, and heard, in decision making spaces. In Wicklow County Council we currently only have 11 female councillors out of 32. In the Greystones District where I represent, I am the only female councillor. The need for better representation spurred me into setting up the Women Councillors Caucus. One of the things I most enjoyed about this is that we were able to put aside party politics and work together for a common goal. We had very positive tailored training sessions and a number of networking events. Most recently we hosted members of the Bray and Wicklow Traveller community in the Council. I do hope that we will see more women from all backgrounds running in this year Local Elections the future. It is well known that the more diversity at the table, the better decisions are made, and that benefits everyone living in our County.”
Cllr Scott expresses optimism about the caucus's sustainability into the future and emphasized the importance of building on the progress achieved. "The Wicklow Women Councillors Caucus is firmly embedded into the Council structure and I trust it will continue to serve its purpose for the women who are elected in June. Let's keep working towards a future where women are equally represented in local government” Scott concluded
