100 years in politics... women’s fight goes on

In East Sussex only nine seats are held by women, meaning 77 per cent of all council posts across Sussex continue to be occupied by men.

Female politicians are now calling on their parties to do more to boost the number of women standing for election.

Councillor Olive Woodall, 80, Liberal Democrat member for Hampden Park in Eastbourne, said: "There still aren't enough of us. We need more women on the council. I want to see at least half of the councillors being women."

The women holding office in the county said the burden of childcare and responsibility for the home still fell on women, making it harder for them to participate in politics.

Ruth O'Keeffe, a mother of four in her 40s who represents Lewes as an Independent on East Sussex County Council, said: "In practical terms there have been things that have been more tricky to organise.

"Just managing to get through it with four children is an achievement. Sometimes I'm late for meetings but people don't realise that I've been phenomenally organised to get there at all."

Although county councils offer their members a £300 allowance to cover childcare costs, female politicians in Sussex say more should be done to assist mothers who want to become involved in local government. Coun Beryl Healy, 71, who first stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate for Eastbourne Devonshire in 1993, said: "It's very difficult for younger people.

"Good candidates are coming through but childcare costs are very high. The council will give you help but the payments don't reflect the true cost of bringing up a family.

It's something that always gets in the way of women standing."

Conservative Pat Arculus, 56, who represents West Chiltington on West Sussex County Council, admitted the role "takes up your whole life".

She said: "But women are tough enough to fight their own corner. I only wish I'd done it before. I've really enjoyed getting involved. I want to tell women out there to have a go."

Coun Woodall said: "Having a family is a big reason why women don't stand but they also suffer from a lack of confidence.

"One of the reasons why I didn't think about being a councillor before was because I was too shy. But you soon get used to it. If you care about something enough you find a way to talk about it in front of everyone."

Coun Woodall is the oldest councillor at East Sussex County Council. She said: "It's no problem. You need a mixture of youth and experience."

Diane Jones, 23, a Liberal Democrat who represents Northbrook, became the youngest female on Worthing Borough Council when she was elected in May. She said: "I wanted the chance to help people. I do everything I can to encourage people to get involved."

Ms Jones balances her council work with a two-year-old son and a part-time job but said it wasn't too difficult to cope.

She added: "It's not too much of a juggling act. I spend a lot of time on the phone and sending emails when he's asleep. Having a family doesn't make a huge difference."

The age of the "town hall boys' club" has now past, according to West Sussex politicians but the old image is still putting women off local government.

Vilna Woodhead, 53, who began representing Sompting on West Sussex County Council in 2001, said: "It was very much a man's world when I started in 2001. There were only four ladies on the council.

"Since then more women have come through but we need to get more on to the council. The image of the semi-retired old gentleman is still hanging around."

Coun O'Keeffe admitted she had encountered some prejudice at the start of her career in local politics. She said: "During my very first parish council meeting someone turned to me and said, You've got very young children, haven't you? You're not going to breastfeed in here, are you?'"

But for many women hoping to pursue a political career the problems facing them at local level are small fry compared to trying to gain a parliamentary seat. Men make up 080 per cent of Westminster MPs.

Coun Healy said: "The differences really arise when you go up a level in politics. The Conservatives have always had a policy of getting more women in.

"But it's no good having women just for the sake of it. That doesn't have the ring of equality to me."

Coun Healy said attempts by party leaders to swell the ranks of women in Westminster, like David Cameron's controversial Tory A list, were "falling foul of the local party". She said: "It's an idea, but it just doesn't seem to be working. Women aren't getting through the interviews to stand as MPs. That's the level where discrimination really hits."

But Bexhill author and Tory candidate Louise Bagshawe, who won a place on the A list last year, said the move was far from positive discrimination.

She said: "I competed in a fair fight. It wasn't given to me because I was wearing a skirt.

Women are ambitious, capable and every bit as tough as the men are. Women in Parliament matters to women voters. If you lose women's votes, you lose the election."

As the daughter of former East Sussex County Council deputy leader Daphne Bagshawe, Ms Bagshawe gained first-hand experience of the problems encountered by women in county politics.

She said: "My mother wasn't completely approved of. But she loved it."

Ellen Chapman, Worthing's first woman councillor, was elected in 1910. A decade later she became the town's first woman mayor.

In 1919 Gladys Evelyn Cecil became the first woman councillor in Bognor.

As Sussex celebrates 100 years of women gaining the right to take part in politics, their heirs are paying tribute to the contribution women have made in government.

Margaret Johnson, who represents Lindfield and High Weald and is in her 60s, became the first woman chairman of West Sussex County Council six years ago.

She said: "I hope this important anniversary will encourage more women to get involved in local government because there is still an imbalance."

Tell us your memories of women councillors across Sussex, add your comments below.