Speaking at the ‘Equal Power Equal Voice’ (EPEV) Event in the Senedd last week, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood emphasised the importance of representation, public participation, and mentoring to support more diverse voices in Welsh public life.
EPEV is a cross-equalities mentoring and training programme aiming to increase diversity of representation in public and political life in Wales.
Any person aged 18 and over who lives in Wales and who identifies as one or more of the following can apply:
• A Black, Asian or ethnic minority person
• A Person from the LGBTQ+ community
• A Disabled person
• A Woman
• Or any combination of any of those identities
At the event, Mr Isherwood, who Chairs the Cross-Party Group on Disability, stressed that disabled people, who make up around 1 in 5 of the UK population, are thought to be under-represented in politics at different levels of government, both across the UK and internationally.
He said:
“The UK Government’s 2021 ‘Barriers to elected office for disabled people’ states that the number of disabled people in politics across all levels of Government ‘are almost always below 1 in 5’, confirming that disabled people are underrepresented.
“The report concludes that ‘Disabled people face a number of barriers when participating in party politics, including venue accessibility, lack of interpretation, inaccessible formatting of materials, lack of facilities, and cultural barriers - including a lack of awareness, knowledge and interest on the part of some local parties to make politics more accessible for disabled people’.
Referring to the gender balance and LGBT+ representation in politics, he said:
“When I first became an Assembly Member, now Member of the Senedd, Membership was gender balanced.
“43% of Members now are Women, compared with 45% in the Scottish Parliament – including the first two women of colour there – and 35% in the House of Commons, the highest level there so far.
“5% of the Senedd’s Members are openly LGBT+, compared with approximately 6% in the Scottish Parliament and 7% in the House of Commons.”
He added:
“I have been delighted to take part in the ‘Equal Power Equal Voice’ cross-equalities mentoring programme to increase diverse representation in public and political life in Wales.
“In conclusion, I must therefore thank my previous excellent mentees under both this mentoring programme and EYST’s predecessor ‘Wales Routes into Public Life’ programme.
“I learned more from each of them than they learned from me, and I wish each of them – and each of you - every future success.”
