Rye Chamber of Commerce marked International Women's Day on Saturday, March 8 with a special breakfast to celebrate the town's businesswomen.
The meeting at Fletcher's House also heard a call for local women to take action ahead of planned changes to local government and to stand for Rye Town Council.
Vice-chair Sarah Broadbent said women were under-represented among local councillors. "54% of our famously independent high street is run by women but that isn't reflected in local government. Rye's next elections won't happen until 2027 but in a small town where traditions are hard to shift we want to encourage our businesswomen to start raising their profiles now in readiness for standing for Rye Town Council. With devolution looming, the town council may well end up with additional powers and it's imperative that the line up of councillors becomes more diverse and representative."
She told the meeting that Rye Town Council had not had a full election since 2019 because seats on the council have been uncontested. "As a consequence it is unrepresentative of our town's demographic. Many women, including those running their own businesses, hold back from council roles. Some feel unenthused because 'things never change' and others cite that the male dominated environment is somewhat intimidating. We also can't ignore the fact that for many the domestic burden still largely falls to them too, so 'spare' time is limited."
Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore also attended the meeting to show her support and encouragement. She talked about the need for more women at every level of government and the barriers many women still face and the inequity that makes working environments more challenging. To illustrate her point she gave one very telling example - the shortage of women's toilets in the House of Commons.
Following the meeting, Rye Chamber of Commerce reports four more women-led businesses had joined the membership, with three businesswomen revealing their intention to stand for the town council when the time comes. Two also put themselves forward to be part of the task group shaping ideas for Rye as a potential business improvement district.
