What is it?

The Equal Representation in Politics Toolkit is a free and easy-to-use set of resources for members of political parties looking to enhance current practice around equality, accessibility, diversity and inclusion. It has been created by members of the Equal Representation Coalition.

The Toolkit covers eight thematic topics covering various aspects of party life. It is suitable for use by members, volunteers and staff involved at all levels. Each topic takes around five minutes, and can be used on this website or with the app.

How do I use it?

The Toolkit is built around self-assessment. Users are invited to take quizzes across the eight topics. At the end of each section, you will receive an action plan based on your answers. There is also accompanying guidance documents which provide more in-depth information on each topic which you can download and share, and checklists to track your progress as you work through.

   “The toolkit itself was easy-to-use, constructively critical and allowed for a good amount of self-evaluation. It was extremely helpful.” (Toolkit user) 

Why is it important?

Women, disabled people, LGBTI people and minority ethnic people continue to be underrepresented at all levels of decision making. Although we have seen some progress in recent elections, there is a lot of work remaining. Change doesn’t happen quickly or by accident.

Recent successes are a result of parties working hard to create more supportive environments and reviewing internal processes such as candidate selection. Parties now have the opportunity and the responsibility to build on this progress and the Toolkit can make this process easier.

How will it benefit my party?

Diversity in our politics and our political institutions is beneficial for everyone. Diversity grows engagement in public life, increases participation in elections and enriches policy decisions. This improves democracy at all levels of communities and could have a positive impact on the success of your political party at the polls as well as in the quality of your policy work and membership numbers.

“We used the toolkit to advise how we could improve our constitution and how we attract new members and representatives.” (Political party officer)