West of England Mayoral Combined Authority helps launch new regional women’s commission

The launch of a new regional women’s commission for the West of England is underway thanks to funding and support from West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

The commission is influenced by the work, over the past decade, of Bristol Women’s Commission, which brought together partners in Bristol to identify and address issues impacting women and girls and standing in the way of women’s equality. Shortly after the position of Bristol Mayor came to an end last year, the city’s women’s commission was disbanded which paved the way for a new regional commission working alongside the West of England Mayor.

Chair Penny Gane has been working closely behind the scenes with representatives from West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and its constituent authorities - Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire Council and Bath & North East Somerset Council - to launch West of England Women’s Commission.

The first meeting of the regional women’s commission is due to take place next month (April), and will confirm its new name, establish its mission and focus, and confirm membership with an official launch later this year.

Penny said: “It’s such an exciting time, to be able to build on the work we’ve done in Bristol to help even more women and girls across the region. Our ability to bring together women leaders to collaborate on reports, campaigns, initiatives and events to shape policy at a local and national level in pursuit of women’s equality is unrivalled and we’re very much looking forward to stepping up for women across the region.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re very grateful to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority for supporting us with our launch and helping us embed into the region and grow to have an even bigger impact.”