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<p>The Government believes that public life is strengthened by the participation of
people with different skills, backgrounds and experiences, from right across the country.
As a country we cannot afford to waste the talents of half our population and that
is why we must ensurewomenare better representedacross all walks of life, including
those from rural areas.</p><p>The 2015 General Election was a great step forward for
women’s representation. We now have the highest number of female MPs in Parliament
and a third of our Cabinet is made up of women. We know women continue to be under-represented
on local councils; that is why schemes such as the Be a Councillor campaign, which
has been run by the Local Government Association since 2012, are so important. The
Government is also committed to increasing the diversity of public appointments and
has set the aspiration that 50% of new appointments should go to women.</p>
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