Support HER

We know women in politics improve outcomes for society but women in politics have a tougher time.

We want women to thrive, not just survive, in elected office.

How can we help? On most wish lists for politicians are coaching, mentoring, peer-to-peer support, training and therapy. But we know that time is always tight. 

Elect Her and COSLA are partnering to reach out to women in local government across Scotland, and provide you with a place to come together and to feel supported in your work, with resources and advice.

Join us, alongside other women from across the political spectrum, share your experiences, challenges, what has helped and what hasn’t!

Councillor GatHERings

We are inviting all women serving as councillors to switch off from regular work for an hour and a half and come together to share and learn - find tools that can support you in your work.

The sessions will be lightly facilitated by Executive Coach Julie Drybrough who will help guide the time, which otherwise will remain an open and informal discussion.

We would love for you to join our online sessions taking place throughout 2025.

We have a lunchtime and evening session on each day, so you can join whichever time best suits your schedule:

  • Tuesday 29th April at 1-2.30 pm & 7-8.30 pm

  • Wednesday 18th June at 12-1.30 pm & 7-8.30 pm

  • Thursday 11th Sept at 10-11 am & 7-8 pm

  • Monday 10th November at 1-2pm & 7-8pm

Sign up below to recieve dial-in details for all Councillor GatHERings.

If you add your name we will ensure you receive an invite to every upcoming session ahead of the events. You do not need to sign up for each individual event, we will share access details in an email beforehand to make it easy to attend.

You will also have the option to sign up for Elect Her’s wider programme of support for women in elected office.

COSLA and Elect Her have collaborated closely on policy and research for the last few years, across a range of forums including the COSLA Barriers to Elected Office Special Interest Group.

Retention of women in elected office is a key concern for both organisations, and an informal networking space has been identified as a tool to support women in elected office. This space is a result of our policy work but is not aimed at providing space for policy change. Instead, this is an open space with light facilitation for women in elected office to build connections and community, sharing experiences, resources, and advice.

COSLA and Elect Her team members will be present in the sessions but will not be gathering outputs, providing guidance or policy updates. Sessions will be confidential and while your lived experiences might influence the direction of wider work, this is not the focus or aim of these sessions.

If you wish COSLA or Elect Her to take action on a particular issue or discuss it in more detail, please contact corporatepolicyteam@cosla.gov.uk or community@elect-her.org.uk