Councillor Mrs

[LoopyLoopsBettyBoops]

I have recently become a councillor, and am struggling with a couple of things. I had a thread a few weeks ago about prayers at the start of meetings...

Well, on any correspondence, minutes etc., male councillors are referred to as Cllr. (1st name) (surname), eg. Councillor Joe Bloggs, but women are Cllr. Miss/Mrs/Ms Bloggs (no 1st name). Why might this be, and is it standard, or just in our council? I don't like it at all.

"I prefer to be addressed as Cllr LoopyLoops BettyBoops"
That has just made me LOL. Please do ask for that - literally! Can you see their faces?

Should I ask in full council?

Please come to heckle. Livens up the meeting no end. I called one of our Chairs ""Chair" once to be told "MISS BEEHIVING, I AM NOT A PIECE OF FURNITURE"

Oh yes, ask at Full Council. Cue spluttering and looking up and down the top table.

How behind the times is your council?

Our councillors are all addressed the same. Cllr Joe Bloggs or Cllr Jane Bloggs. Always using their first name as well as well have multiple husband/wife and father/daughter so otherwise would be confusing.

Just wondering - how are you referred to in the media? Do they follow the standard convention or go with the way your council do it?

No, media go with Cllr LoopyLoops BettyBoops.

If you're Equalities champion, I'd make it your first mission to get this silliness kicked into touch! Come back and let us know how it goes

Our older councillors prefer to be Councillor Mrs. It's a matter of choice, isn't it? Since I made my request others have followed, as have the local media who probably never thought about it. I didn't make a big deal of it and will explain to anyone who asks. As you are Equalities Champion i think you should discuss it with whoever manages the committee administration and the Equalities Manager.

We have prayers too but not everyone joins in.

My mum is a councillor and her council uses the Cllr Purple StrawberryGuava format to address all its elected members. My mum wouldn't accept being addressed as Cllr Mrs.

Raise it at Council.

Congratulations on your election. [hsmile]

I've always taken the word "chairman" to be ungendered like "human". I hate "chair" in this situation. The chair is what the chairman has so she can sit down, so calling her chair implies that she's going to be sat on.

jenniec - i agree with you - it's sexless, as you say, like human.

Congratulations on your election.

You need to write to the following people to alert them to your correct style of address (i.e. Councillor Surname):

Your Group Leader
Your Group Secretary
The Democratic Services Manager (or equivalent)
The Chief Executive
The Mayor or the person who chairs your council meetings
The other Group Leaders and Group Secretaries if you aren't a one-party council.

Keep it pithy!

Our parish council just uses Cllr Surname.

Rarely use first names in official business.

We are all Cllr. surname.

All but one are Tories too and the Tory women are the most vocal should anyone dare to call them Cllr Mrs!!

It always bothers me at the surgery the list of doctors is like this:

Dr A. Patel
Dr B. Imram
Dr Mrs Irena Batthi
Dr F. Jones
Dr H. Owen
Dr Mrs Katherine Adams
Dr T. Bowen

That's a bit odd, Jackson.

My GP's have names under pictures (Dr Firstname Lastname) in reception. I guess your example also gives an idea which GPs are definately women, but can't help but wonder if Anna, Betty, Fiona, Harriet and Tanya just chose not to declare their marital status.

Only makes sense if you have to specifically differentiate between Dr Mr Smith and Dr Mrs Smith really. (We did have a married couple teaching at our med. school and they did this - but they BOTH did)

I'm a Pa rish Cl erk and there have been 2 female Councillors over the years both known as Councillor Initial Surname the same as everyone else.

AFAIK there is no rule about it (I've never heard of it anyway) it must be personal preference.

Two of them (using made up names) are married, however all the doctors follow this trend. It's definitely a male/ female thing. It's just a crappy piece of A4 print-out done by the receptionist,

Tear down that crappy A4 sheet and rip it up!

That would get me at least noticed when I wanted a repeat prescription for ds!