Nigel Galloway reports on the staunchly masculine political picture which continues to dominate at a local level in Sussex.

The 111 councillors elected to run Sussex's two county councils are back in business after the elections.

But as the information packs and security badges were handed out to councillors old and new there was an acute shortage of female faces.

Despite changes to West Sussex's "pay" package for councillors there are now only 12 women members of the council out of 71 seats, one of the lowest figures in recent years.

Before the election there were 19 women councillors, 16 served in the 1993 administration and 20 back in 1989.

In East Sussex there are 10 women councillors out of a total membership of 44 compared with nine before the elections.

Now the only female member of West Sussex's 11-strong Labour group, Janet Sully says she will be looking at new ways of trying to attract more women to become involved in local politics.

She said: "It is very sad there are only 12 women on this new council and it is not in the best interests of the people of West Sussex and I would like to see it remedied. I am going to give it a lot of thought.

"I also want to see more done to try to attract disabled people to become elected because I know of two people who would make excellent councillors who are being penalised because if they stand and receive allowances they will lose some of the benefits."

Despite the lack of women, West Sussex County Council will have a strong feminine influence.

The Argus can reveal that Margaret Johnson of Lindfield in Mid Sussex has been nominated by the ruling Tory group to become the first woman chairman of the council in its 112-year history.

A year ago, when the council first launched its Cabinet system, there was an outcry when former leader Graham Forshaw appointed an all-male elite to take the big policy decisions.

But his successor Harold Hall is expected to include at least one woman in his Cabinet which will be unveiled on Tuesday.

Coun Sally Greenwell from Petworth is widely tipped to be handed a major portfolio.

But behind the appointments there is still concern that County Hall has again become a male-dominated bastion.

It is a view also shared by most of the men who were elected last Thursday.

Lib-Dem councillor Nick Rodgers from Durrington said: "I am extremely disappointed because local government is supposed to reflect the community it serves.

"I think part of the blame is that people in general have become turned off by local government and women even more so.

"Women bring a different perspective to council work and a male-dominated culture is not the most healthy culture in the world."

Tory leader Harold Hall says he is also sorry not to see more women in the council chamber.

"There is no impediment to women being selected as candidates in the Conservative party and in fact we positively encourage it."

The statistics behind last week's poll show that only 56 women stood for election in West Sussex compared with 176 male candidates.

Labour put forward 17 women, the Lib-Dems 15, the Tories 13, the Greens nine and there were two candidates from the UK Independence Party.

However the council cannot be accused of not taking action to try and attract more women and younger working people to its ranks.

Last year it introduced a new flat rate £5,000 a year payment for backbench councillors to replace an outdated system of payments based on attendance at meetings.

The package also included an allowance to help meet the cost of child care.

Gillian Thompson of Worthing who was the beaten Labour candidate in the borough's Broadwater division, said she hoped more women would follow her example and try and get elected.

She had employers willing to allow her 18 days off a year to attend meetings and a supportive partner prepared to look after their two children for evening duties.

Mrs Thompson said she decided to stand because she was "angry" over many issues such as the axing of hot school meals.

She also wanted to see more done for young people in Worthing. "I think there is an imbalance and there is too much for older people.

"Women do have a lot to offer but they also have very busy and more complex lives and we nearly all work."

Lib-Dem councillor Margaret Collins from East Grinstead led the criticism of the Tories last year when the male only Cabinet was announced.

She said: "I was really appalled and I hope there is a femalerepresentative in the new one.

"I think women are not coming forward simply because they are more reticent than men and that is part of our make-up but in my party we do train, encourage and develop women."

Mrs Johnson, a county councillor since 1981, who has been nominated to become chairman when the first formal council meeting takes place on Tuesday is also making another bit of history.

She is currently vice-chairman of the council and holders of this post usually slip into oblivion at the end of their term and never get to hold the top job.

Mrs Johnson will succeed Ian Elliott from Shoreham who stood down at the elections.

She said: "It is a huge responsibility and I think it will be the first time a vice chairman has moved up."

She says is also sorry the number of women has slumped but added: " I will do my best to keep it up for the girls."

There has been similar dismay at the situation in East Sussex.

Labour councillor Jay Kramer of the Old Hastings and Mount Pleasant ward says male-dominated councils is a historical issue that needs to be looked at.

She said that meetings which started at 10.30am and ended at 6pm did not cater for the woman who might have to do the school run at 3.15pm.

Coun Kramer said: "We talk about this life-work balance and there are many women juggling part-time work with child care and perhaps they feel that being a councillor is something they cannot take on without doing it properly."

She believes that attracting younger men and women into local government is as important.

Coun Kramer said: "I think there has to be a partnershop with schools so that young people see politics as relevant and interesting and that will help bring younger women forward."

And Jean Hopkinson, Conservative for Bexhill East, said she felt many women were put off becoming county councillors both by the hours and by the canvassing.

She added: "I consider the women councillors do as important a job as the men. We are equal in what we do but it is unfortunate that the composition of the county council in terms of women does not reflect the composition of the county."