In my role as Leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, my Cabinet and I spend much of our time looking to the future – we ask what is on the horizon, we set budgets and we plan for the next month, year and, in the case of major projects such as the Golden Valley Development, decades to come.

Today, however, I am reflecting on last month’s International Women’s Day which we observed on the 8th of March. As any Cheltenham resident will know, March is an exceedingly busy time in our town with the return of race week, so it felt good to pause for a moment and celebrate the hard-fought successes of our women locally, nationally and around the globe.

We know there are significant barriers for women professionally in almost every sector. In local government there are fewer female councillors than their male counterparts, which invariably means fewer female voices in Cabinet and decision-making positions.

This disparity is something I have seen first-hand. I am proud to have been Leader of the Council for the last five years and in Cabinet for almost 18 years. While we now have four female Cabinet leads, there have been times when I have been the only one.

There is still more to do for equality

Although progress towards equality can be slow, we should be incredibly proud of the strides we have taken as a society to improve on the past, but there is still more to do to bring true equality. Here at Cheltenham Borough Council we now have six women in senior leadership roles, meaning there are now more female leaders than our male counterparts. This is encouraging, not because we want fewer men in those positions, but because we know how hard it is for women to get there.

I hope that by seeing women in leadership positions we can inspire the next generation to make a difference in our local area and beyond, regardless of gender.

So thank you to all the people who have supported and marked this year’s International Women’s Day! I look forward to continuing the ambition to make our world a better place for all.