Women’s Equality

Kay Wesley and Susan Mead were elected to Congleton Town Council in May 2023.

Kay narrowly missed out on a place in Cheshire East Council by just 19 votes! If you’d like to join our movement and support future campaigns – or maybe stand yourself – please join us here:

Our manifesto for this next term in Council is that we will work hard for…

• A NEW TIP IN CONGLETON. Kay has already campaigned for this at meetings, with petitions, protests and social media.
• CRIME PREVENTION AND AN END TO DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE. In Congleton Kay has led the implementation of the Community Safety Charter to make the town safer for everyone, and achieved White Ribbon status as well as initiated a domestic abuse clinic. DA arrest rates doubled year-on-year.
• TOWN VITALITY Bringing businesses and people into Congleton town centre and improving our housing estates. As local business owners, both Kay and Susan have an interest in making Congleton a great place to live and work.
• AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE Susan is part of the national Early Years Equality campaign, Kay has worked with local families to establish service gaps and we will continue to work to ensure that in Congleton parents get the support they need.
• PROTECTION OF GREEN SPACES We oppose new building on our countryside; and actively support biodiversity and action on climate change. It was Kay that brought the proposal to CTC to declare a climate emergency, and Susan’s business is an ‘eco-nursery’.
• ESSENTIAL SERVICES. We will ensure that public transport, schools and medical facilities are prioritised support our growing population, including the re-opening of our minor injuries unit at the War Memorial Hospital. Kay has already written a bus improvement plan, lobbied for better services and worked with the NHS to get assurances about the WMH.
• Read our full manifesto.

Some people have been asking for copies of our newsletter about the work we have been doing for the past few years. You can read and download it here or phone 07711 459740 and we will bring you a paper copy.

Here you can watch our 2023 election video which illustrates the work Kay has done since her election in 2019.

About Kay and Susan

We have been active in challenging local inequalities and in 2019 Kay was elected to Congleton Town Council as the first Women’s Equality Party Councillor in the United Kingdom. 

Kay is the only Congleton Town Councillor to document all her work in the community in a regular bi-monthly blog post. You can read Kay’s blog here.

Why Kay and Susan?

Kay Wesley and Susan Mead have already done an enormous amount of work for the residents of Congleton. Their focus has been to make Congleton SAFER, GREENER and FAIRER for all our residents.

You can learn more here:

Tell us what you think

Please get in touch:

Email CllrKay.Wesley@congleton-tc.gov.uk  or cheshireeast@womensequality.org.uk

Phone: Kay: 07711 459740  Susan: 07875 542974

Please join us! You can join the Women’s Equality Party here.

Why The Women’s Equality Party?

Hear from Councillor Kay Wesley why we are standing for the Women’s Equality Party and why you should vote for us.

When women thrive, everyone benefits, and yet, according to the World Economic Forum a girl born in the UK today has 22% fewer life chances than a boy due to the ‘Gender Gap’ in these parameters: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.

The Women’s Equality Party was started in 2015 by Sandi Toksvig and Catherine Mayer to challenge systematic discrimination and prejudice in the UK. WEP’s seven core objectives are equality in work, health, the media, representation, education, pay, parenting and caregiving, and to end violence against women and girls.

In 2020 WEP voted to mainstream the Climate Emergency as a core component of all seven policy areas, and adopted the model of Doughnut Economics, which balances the needs of the planet and people with those of financial growth.

You can read more about Why WE Exist here.

Since Kay’s election, other councillors who are WEP members have been elected elsewhere in the country. If you’d like to get involved in WEP Cheshire East you can sign up here. 

Councillor Kay’s Recent Blog Posts

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