Following the recent elections, we will be welcoming eight new members to the NEC.  Only seven members continue from the last NEC and one previous member (Jim Lee) returns.

With three vacancies, the number of new NEC members could be higher still.  This is quite a turnover, and is down to the new system of elections by which the 11 regional representatives were elected by one member one vote by individual members.

Turnover isn’t the only notable thing about this election, however.  The NEC took the decision to reserve four of the regional seats for women and now, for the first time, we have an NEC with gender balance.

There is evidence that this was necessary.  After the last elections in 2011, only one of the eleven regional seats was held by a woman.  In 2014, in the seven seats that were open for men or women, fifteen men and only one woman was nominated – so it looks like no further progress towards gender balance would have been made without the steps taken by the NEC.

Our members want more women to stand and will vote for them when they do  – the one woman who stood in an open election was elected, and the two regions with only women candidates had the highest turnout.

The new NEC meets for the first time on 1 & 2 June, when they will elect a Chair and members of sub committees.  You can read more about them here (link).