Only a quarter of North Wales councillors are women.

And more needs to be done to get women involved in local politics according to campaigners.

Figures from campaign group Chwarae Teg showed the number of women councillors who were in office last year.

Just 27.7% of councillors in Wales are women but not a single one of North Wales’ authorities have hit this low figure.

Flintshire was the closest to the national average with 27.1% of members who are female, Conwy and Denbighshire had 25.4% and 23.4% respectively.

In Gwynedd the figure was 22.7% and 19.2% in Wrexham but Anglesey trailed in last place with just 10%.

Ruthin county councillor, Bobby Feeley, said that the issue had been troubling her during a debate on political balance in Denbighshire Council last week.

She said: “It just struck me when considering political balance at full council last week, which in my view is pretty fair on Denbighshire, there does not seem to be such concern around  gender balance.  On Denbighshire there are 11 women out of 47, only one is chair of a scrutiny, one leader of a group and I am the only female cabinet member out of eight.

“In the time I have been involved in politics, it has been mainly men that have put themselves forward as candidates for election, with women less keen to stand, I am not sure why.

“When I first became a Glyndwr district councillor back in 1986 there was one other, so I guess things have improved since then.  I’ve now been involved in local politics for some 30 years, I love what I do and have learnt a lot along the way but I really can’t say why there are so few of us.

“I think historically,  politics has been considered a male domain, but in time that will change, its important that those of us involved are good role models and encourage more women to come forward and take part in local and national democracy we have got a lot to offer and deserve better representation.

“Meanwhile I shall carry on for as long as I can, working hard in my corporate cabinet role, but never forgetting the residents, male and female, who I represent.”

Natasha Davies, Policy and Research Lead at Chwarae Teg said: “Diversity in politics makes a difference; it brings a range of ideas, skills and perspectives, and women politicians are more likely to raise issues such as childcare, domestic abuse and equal pay. Local authorities are the closest to our communities, and deal with many of the day-to-day issues we face; clean and safe streets, local education, leisure services and care to name a few. These issues have a huge impact on women’s lives, therefore it’s crucial that women’s voices are included in the decisions.

“While being a Councillor is not recognised, or remunerated as a full time role, for most it’s not one which it’s easy to switch off from. For women, who bear the brunt of caring responsibilities, this is a real barrier, raising concerns about work-life balance, family responsibilities and balancing another part-time job.  Not to mention the fear of abuse and harassment, financial constraints and out of date party selection processes.

“We need real change to encourage more women into politics; improved childcare provision, support for councillors on maternity or paternity leave, effective remuneration, better technology to facilitate flexible working, and the potential for positions to be taken up on a part-time or job-share basis.

“Electing politicians who better reflect the communities they represent can bridge the gap between voters and politicians, as well as creating visible and diverse role models which can inspire the next generation.”