Minister allocates over 170k to campaign to get more rural women involved in local politics

Minister for Planning and Local Government, Alan Dillon TD has today announced funding of €171,162 for the Longford-based See Her Elected (SHE) campaign, in support of their work in supporting and encouraging the participation of women from rural Ireland in local politics.

Announcing the funding, the Minister said: “The outcome of the local elections in June of this year was encouraging in terms of the participation of women in local government: a record 681 female candidates participated, representing an almost 18% increase on the previous elections in 2019, and almost a third candidates overall."

As it stands there are now 247 women councillors which make up 26% of councillors overall and is the highest proportion of women elected to local government in the history of the State.

READ MORE: Senators declare they are not spies amid claims of Russian agent in the Oireachtas

However, the minister says there is still "plenty of work to be done towards our goal of making our council chambers fully reflective of the communities they serve. Groups like See Her Elected are essential to making that goal a reality.”

See Her Elected is a collaboration between Longford Women’s Link and 50:50 North West, initially founded in response to concern at the under-representation of women on county councils in the north-west/midlands regions.

See Her Elected is built on the ethos of women learning and supporting each other, providing them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to participate in local politics. Due to the popularity of the programme and a larger catchment audience through online delivery, SHE has now expanded their reach to all of rural Ireland, collaborating with local authorities across the country.

READ MORE: Gardaí arrest man in his 20s on suspicion of murder of Mary Ward in Belfast

Minister Dillon said: “My Department has provided 100% funding for See Her Elected since its inception in 2019, and over that time they have become a key partner in our efforts to promote the participation of women from all walks of life in local democracy.

"The SHE team contributed enormously to the recent successes at local level, with 40% of women councillors elected on June 7 receiving support from SHE, and a significant number of other SHE-supported candidates finishing in runner-up positions or receiving strong first preference votes.”

See Her Elected offers a range of supports to women who are interested in getting involved in local government, including capacity building and training and the publication of an A-Z guide for women running in the 2029 local elections. In recognition of their work, in 2021 SHE were awarded a European Innovation in Politics Award, in the Democracy category, and ahead of International Women’s Day this year the SHE team of Dr Michelle Maher and Mairéad O’Shea were named as 2 of the 100 “Women of 2024” by the Irish Examiner.

Concluding on what he hopes this further funding will do for the campaign the Minister said: 

“It is my hope that this funding will continue to assist SHE in affecting real change. I will continue to work closely with SHE – and all our key partners – towards our shared goal of greater equality at the level of government closest to the citizen.”