Our Chairman encourages women to get into local government this International Women’s Day!

Councillor Tracey Onslow is the current Chairman of Worcestershire County Council and has been a District Councillor since 2007 and a County Councillor since 2017. Councillor Onslow was also Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia for 6 years, as well as Managing Director of a property company.

When asked why she became involved in local government Tracey said: “I got involved mainly because I wanted to know, and have a say in, what was going on in my local area.  As a Property Developer, I was always looking at improving things, efficiently, so I took these skills into Council-life, and they proved valuable when we built the new crematorium and leisure centre.

“I think having a background in retail – both my parents had shops that I worked in, and I had part-time jobs in hospitality – helped me to be able to talk to people from all walks of life, with differing views and gain consensus, on occasion!

“I have been very fortunate throughout my life and have been able to do the things I have wanted to do, but I was acutely aware that this was not the same for everyone and so helping people and giving something back to my local community were also major drivers in my original decision to stand for local government.”

This International Women’s Day the theme is Accelerated Action and aims to encourage and empower women into roles of leadership.

Tracey is very keen to encourage more women into local government with an exciting time ahead. She said: “Don’t hesitate and don’t leave it to someone else – council decisions affect every single aspect of your life and the lives of all those around you, so your local area and local community need your individual perspective on what is going on.”

You can find out more about what the council does and how you can get involved on our About the Council web pages.