WOMEN AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: At a meeting of the Manchester City Council the following resolution, moved by Miss Margaret Ashton, was carried, the motion being adopted by 35 votes to 22. The Lord Mayor pointed out that the vote was taken in council 140. “That the council urges Parliament to remove the inequalities between men and women in the local government section of the Franchise and Registration Bill in regard to ownership and lodger franchise, and to recognise married women as joint occupiers with their husbands of land and premises.” It will be remembered that the bill as introduced re-enacts existing anomalies with the solitary exception that it abolishes the service franchise throughout. It settles against women the point as to which revising barristers take different views, providing definitely that married women in England and Wales outside London shall not vote in county and town council elections; and a consequence of such provision would be to prevent Mrs. Pinsent’s continuing to serve on the Birmingham City Council, because her eligibility to serve depends on her name remaining on the register of electors. If the Bill passes in the present form three registers will have to be kept for electors in England and Wales, although two will suffice in Scotland and Ireland. Moreover, it must not be supposed that the re-enactment of old disabilities leaves the law as before. That is not so. Re-enactment of disabilities puts new rivets to old fetters.
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0245 Devonport: Ellen Frances Parker: 1866 – 1949