by Nadia Sam-Daliri A shadowing scheme for Black and Asian women looking to get into politics has been launched. Camden Council is believed to be the first in the country to set up the partnership between councillors and Black, Asian and

by Nadia Sam-Daliri

A shadowing scheme for Black and Asian women looking to get into politics has been launched.

Camden Council is believed to be the first in the country to set up the partnership between councillors and Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women.

Of 53 councillors in Camden, four are BAME women, which is representative of the numbers in the borough.

But nationally, ethnic women fare much worse, making up less than one per cent of councillors despite comprising five per cent of the population,

Cllr Maya de Souza, Highgate ward, said: "This is an exciting time. The scheme will create avenues for women of all backgrounds to come forward and take their position in local politics."

Cllr De Souza headed an event which attracted more than 100 women from across the borough last week.

Workshops on the key skills needed for local politics and ways to represent communities were well attended.

One of the main barriers to entering politics is the lack of awareness of the councillor role and ways to get involved, the Councillors Commission found.

Participants chosen for the scheme will now shadow councillors for four to six days over a six-month period.

The scheme is run in partnership with Operation Black Vote which aims to get more ethnic minority groups voting in and standing for election.

nadia.sam-daliri@archant.co.uk