Are you a community activist passionate about making positive change in your local area? Do you have ideas for how to support those around you, but not sure how to make it happen? Join us on Tuesday 11th October to find out how becoming a community councillor can help put your ideas into action by claiming a seat at the decision making table.

Every week in October, we are holding a series of webinars to bring together some of the amazing women elected at all levels of politics in Scotland. Whether you are thinking about putting yourself forward for election, or you are just dipping your toe in politics, these webinars are for you!  

Community councils are a bridge between the local community and the council. They are consulted on planning decisions on behalf of the community and are often involved in campaigns for improved local infrastructure and green spaces. If you are keen to improve your local area and support your community, becoming a community councillor is a great way to implement positive, tangible change.

Although women are often the ones leading activist campaigns and supporting their communities, like every level of elected office, women are underrepresented in community councils - and this needs to change. We need a broad range of voices in the rooms where decisions are made, so that women’s diverse lived experiences can be heard and taken into account.  

Join us for this webinar to hear from current community councillors in Scotland about what motivated them to enter politics, how they first got started and what change they have implemented as a community councillor, so that you can consider how to bring your campaign ideas to the table and be better prepared for your political future.

The webinar will be hosted by Lauren Bennie, a former community councillor and chair, 2019 general election candidate and women’s rights campaigner focused on women in politics and women’s health.

The panellists will include Karen Harcus, Alison Lowe and Debra Duke:

• Karen Harcus and Alison Lowe are two members of the Ferintosh Community Council, based on the Black Isle in the Highlands Council area. Alison has been a member for several years, and Karen has joined more recently. After having been poorly served by public transport as a rural community, Karen and Alison worked in partnership with HITRANS, the Highland Council, Stagecoach and CSI Ross-shire to successfully pilot a community bus, known locally as "the wee bus", available on demand to those living in and visiting the local area.

• Debra Duke is the Community Council Liaison Officer at Moray Council.  All councils across Scotland have a liaison officer who supports community councils, including offering advice and training to community councillors.  Debra will describe her role, and how councils and community councils work with each other.

After this webinar, you will be able to:

• Better understand the roles and responsibilities of a community councillor and whether the role is right for you.

• Consider your own motivation to stand for elected office.

If you’d like to learn from this webinar but can’t make this time, don’t worry! Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording afterwards.

All women are welcome to register for this webinar. Non-binary people whose experiences or identities intersect with women’s  and therefore feel they would benefit from accessing a women-centred space are welcome to join us.

Elect Her is committed to hosting inclusive, accessible events that enable all women to engage fully in our conversations. We will make reasonable adjustments throughout the event, so there is universal access. Throughout our programme of support, we anticipate what is needed in advance and respond to needs as they emerge. For instance, we provide AI live captioning for all our online workshops & events, and will provide BSL interpretation for this webinar. If you require any further accommodations to access this event, please email maggie@elect-her.org.uk. Requests must be made at least 2 working days before the scheduled event in order to enable us time to make arrangements.

This webinar is part of a wider series exploring the different roles in politics in Scotland. If you’re still considering which role is right for you in politics, be sure to check out our other webinars, taking place each week in October to get you started, including Her Life in Politics as a Councillor taking place Tuesday 18th October and Her Life in Politics as an MSP taking place Tuesday 25th October.