The organisation emerged from a local electors association formed by Amelia Charles, Caroline Biggs, Mrs Evans and Lucy Wilson at the instigation of
Annie Leigh Browne. This group's ambition was to get women into church politics. In November 1888 the
Society for Promoting the Return of Women as County Councillors was formed by twelve women at
Sarah Amos's house. The group included
Elizabeth Lidgett and her sister Mary Bunting and it was led by
Annie Leigh Browne. It was deciding suitable women candidates for election. Lidgett was offered the opportunity of standing to be a
London County Councillor in 1889 but she refused.
Annie Leigh Browne provided early funding and she,
Eva McLaren, the
Marchioness of Aberdeen,
Louisa Temple Mallett The aim of this society was to get women elected to local government. An early victory was the election of two women,
Jane Cobden and Lady
Margaret Sandhurst, to the
London County Council. This was possible because of the wording of the
Local Government Act 1888 which did not disqualify women candidates. A later court case determined that this was a mistake. Campaigns were unsuccessfully started to reverse the court's interpretation. However, in 1894 new legislation did allow women to stand for more minor roles. School boards were abolished by the
Education Act 1902, which replaced them with
local education authorities; the Women's Local Government Society defended the rights of women to serve on the new authorities, arguing this was a step backwards as they had been contributing to school boards since the 1870s. The publication of the
Qualification of Women (County and Borough Councils) Act in 1907 was a victory for the Women's Local Government Society. ==References==