Conservative Women's Organisation


The Conservative Women's Organisation represents the female members of the Conservative Party in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The Scottish Conservative Women's Council is the autonomous sister organisation of the CWO in Scotland. The Chairman of the British Section of the European Union of Women also sits on the CWO National Executive.
The youth wing of Conservative Women's Organisation is called Conservative Young Women.
As with all political parties, membership has declined and the CWO had about 5,000 active members in 2012. Attendance at the CWO Annual Conference has been between 300 and 750 in the past five years.
It also sends delegates to the National Conservative Convention, the parliament of the party's voluntary wing.

History

The National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations' Central Women's Advisory Committee was formed in 1908 and officially founded in 1919, although not affiliated to the Conservative Party until 1928. Its roots go back to the Grand Ladies Council of the Primrose League of 1885. It changed its name to the Women's National Advisory Committee in 1951 and again to the Conservative Women's National Committee in April 1982. It changed to its current title in April 2007.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the CWO had more than a quarter of a million members and became the largest women's political organisation in the Western world. For several decades, the women's organisation's annual conference was regularly held in the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The CWO celebrated its centenary in 2019 at its conference at Methodist Hall in London on 9 March 2019. The organisation created a supplementary centenary logo, which includes a primrose, in reference to its roots in the Primrose League - and uses the suffragette colours of purple, white and green.

Purpose

According to its website, the CWO is:

National Executive

The CWO Executive Committee has responsibility for the overall management of the organisation and is composed of:
The National Officers for 2019/2020 are:
PositionNameSince
National PresidentJulie Iles2019
National ChairmanFleur Butler2019
National Deputy ChairmanRushi Millns2020
National Deputy ChairmanEve Burt2019
National Deputy ChairmanGonul Daniels2019
National TreasurerSeema Kumar2020

Regions

Each of the 12 regions are broken into Areas, with each having their own Area Chairman with responsibility to the Regional Chairmen. An affiliated Conservative Association women's group, known as Association CWOs or Conservative Women's Constituency Committees.

Affiliation and constitution

The organisation is officially affiliated to the Conservative Party. Its last constitution was ratified by the CWO AGM in March 2007 and ratified by the Party Board on 7 April 2007. A revised constitution was ratified by the CWO AGM on 29 March 2014 and ratified by the Party Board on 28 April 2014.

Elections

National and Regional elections take place at Annual General Meetings before 30 April each year.

Policy and research

CWO Forums

Although the organisation primarily represents the views of the women grassroots members of the Conservative Party, it is also involved in policy and research, which particularly affect women in the UK. It does this primarily through its CWO Forums - panel based discussion meetings that are generally held in the Palace of Westminster and which are open to men and women, and to people from all political persuasions.
Subjects covered in the last 5 years include:
Set up by the then Chairman, Pauline Lucas, in 2010, the development programme trains and mentors women to stand for public office at all levels. Workshops are usually held at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters in London but sponsored Be a Councillor days are held around the UK. Workshops cover communication, interviews, applications, campaigns and finance, together with other "transferable skills". In July 2013, the CWO announced a new workshop as an introduction for women to apply for Public Appointments and Non-Executive Director roles.

Conferences

The first recorded Conservative Women's Conference was in 1921 and holding an annual conference is part of its constitution. For several decades, the women's organisation's annual conference was regularly held in the Royal Albert Hall.

National CWO Chairmen

YearsChair
1919-1921Lady Fitzalan
1921-1925Mrs W. Bridgeman
1925-1928Viscountess Elveden
1928-1932Countess of Iveagh
1933-1935Dame Regina Evans
1935-1938Lady Hillingdon
1938-1942Mrs Marian Whitehead
1942-1945Mrs Hornyold-Strickland
1945-1948Dame Lucile Sayers
1948-1951Mrs Anne Warde
1951-1954Evelyn Emmet, Baroness Emmet of Amberley
1954-1957Katharine Elliot, The Baroness Elliot of Harwood DBE
1957-1960Lady Mary Graham
1960-1963Dame Margaret Shepherd
1963-1966Mrs CJA Doughty
1966-1969Dame Unity Lister
1969-1972Dame Margot Smith
1972-1975Dame Shelagh Roberts
1975-1978Dame Ann Springman
1978-1981Dame Pamela Hunter
1981-1984Joan Seccombe, The Baroness Seccombe DBE
1984-1987Dame Margaret Fry
1987-1990Dame Wendy Mitchell
1990-1993Mrs Hazel Byford, The Baroness Byford DBE
1993-1996Dame Joyce Annelay, The Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE
1996-1999Mrs Caroline Abel-Smith OBE
1999-2002Mrs Marney Swan OBE
2002-2005Mrs Pamela Parker
2005-2008Lady Fiona Hodgson, The Baroness Hodgson of Abinger CBE
2008-2011Mrs Pauline Lucas MBE
2011-2012Ms Niki Molnar MBE
Mar-Nov 2012Mrs Katy Bourne
2013-2016Ms Niki Molnar MBE
2016-2019Mrs Julie Iles
2019-Mrs Fleur Butler