Given the wave of news and information we seem to be hit with every day, I suspect I wasn't the only sector observer who missed the Fawcett Society's revelation earlier this summer that women's representation in local government is at a standstill.

Fawcett's research found that women make up just 35% of councillors across England. With just a single percentage point move towards gender equality since the data was last gathered, and 96% of councils remaining dominated by men, there's a long way to go to achieve equal representation in council chambers – a fact made all the more shocking given the disproportionate impact of local government on women's lives.