This article examines aspects of the ‘leadership' roles and functions of female and male councillors. It highlights the continued under-representation of women in terms of the proportion of councillors who are women, and the ‘gender gap' that exists in terms of council leadership and the...

The expertise of its members is often cited as one of the distinctive features of the House of Lords. It is frequently argued that, in particular, because of its composition, and in particular the existence of the Crossbench Peers, debates in the Lords are more informed than in the Commons....