YP Comment: Empowering women will not happen with token measures

THERE will be some traditionalists who believe that International Women's Day is something a misnomer because the world today is far more enlightened than a century ago when the event was first staged '“ and when the suffragettes were still fighting for the right to vote.
Janette Benaddi, Niki Doeg, Helen Butters and Frances Davies,  the Yorkshire mothers who have just rowed across the Atlantic.Janette Benaddi, Niki Doeg, Helen Butters and Frances Davies,  the Yorkshire mothers who have just rowed across the Atlantic.
Janette Benaddi, Niki Doeg, Helen Butters and Frances Davies, the Yorkshire mothers who have just rowed across the Atlantic.

After all, an intrepid quartet of Yorkshire mothers have just returned to these shores after successfully rowing the Atlantic following a heroic voyage; Germany’s leader Angela Merkel is, without doubt, Europe’s most influential politician and it is feasible that Hillary Clinton will make history this November and become the first woman to be elected president of the United States. Yet, while it is inconceivable that a newly-elected prime minister could elect an all-male cabinet, as John Major did when he succeeded Margaret Thatcher, the current debate on Britain’s European Union membership – so unsatisfactory in so many ways – is noteworthy at present for the extent to which it is being dominated by so many male politicians and business leaders.

It should not be like this – women are just as entitled to voice their opinion on this totemic issue and the fact that they have not been able to do so, certainly to this point, is another reminder that more needs to be done to ensure that public life, and public service, reflects all sections of society. It does not end here – far more, for example, needs to be done in Muslim communities to empower women so they do not become slaves to not only their religion but also the male head of their family.

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Although the issues facing women in the 21st century are different to those of a century ago when Emily Davison was struck by the King’s horse in the Epsom Derby, they are no less challenging and will only be addressed with progressive change 365 days a year rather than patronising tokenism or gimmickry.

Value for money? Allowances paid to councillors under scrutiny

EVEN though a by-product of the MPs’ expenses scandal was far greater transparency over the entitlements paid to Parliamentarians, such scrutiny has not yet been brought to bear on local government, where councillors have received nearly £700m in allowances over the past three years according to landmark research undertaken by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

Of course, this figure can be interpreted two ways – some will contend that such payments cannot be justified at a time when important local services are being cut while others, not least local councillors, will argue that their duties are such that this headline sum represents value for money when town halls now deal with budgets comparable to blue-chip companies.

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Three wider points should be made. First, current protocols should be reviewed to ensure that they are not open to abuse – those whose claims are above board will have nothing to fear from this.

Second, this issue goes to the heart of Yorkshire’s devolution debate and concerns that governance costs could escalate still further if council leaders in West, North and East Yorkshire press ahead with separate plans.

Finally, the payments to councillors are small in comparison to the wage inflation enjoyed by those council executives now paid more than the Prime Minister.

Taxpayers do not want more tiers of government. They want more efficient services and much less bureaucracy, and this should be the primary factor in determining 
both the allowances awarded to councillors and the salaries paid to council chiefs.

The test of time: Fair funding for all schools

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THAT Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has agreed to review the funding formula for schools is significant on two counts – it is a tacit admission that the current arrangements are unfair and it is testament to the work of those Yorkshire MPs, like Graham Stuart and, more recently, Rishi Sunak, who have highlighted the extent to which pupils from rural areas are shortchanged.

However, the campaign is far from being won. For, while it is patently unfair that accidents of history mean schools in one part of the country could receive 50 per cent more than an identical school elsewhere, it remains to be seen whether Mrs Morgan will be able to push through her changes in the teeth of opposition from all those who might lose out. Given that Mrs Morgan will have to implement any changes from within existing resources because of the state of the public finances, it is even more important that she devises a system that is fair to all and which will stand the test of time.