FEMALE district councillors are celebrating a victory for gender equality after successfully forcing the removal of their married prefix on council minutes.

Before the change, female councillors were listed with the prefix 'Ms' or 'Mrs' on West Oxfordshire District Council minutes, but no prefix was used for men.

West Oxfordshire District Council updated its style of minuting and now lists all councillors by their forename and surname, with no prefix.

The move was spearheaded by Merilyn Davies, who represents Hanborough and Freeland, with the support of Witney East councillor Rosa Bolger.

Their request to remove the prefix from minutes was supported by the leaders of three three political parties on the council.

Cllr Davies said: "With cross-party support the minutes at West Oxfordshire District Council have been dragged into the 21st century.

"The removal of female councillors' married prefix pushes us in the right direction for greater equality and diversity at the council.

"The former minutes assumed councillors to be male - hence they were listed without 'Mr' - and I saw this as evidence of larger structural inequalities which exist beneath the surface.

"We are thankful to the three male leaders of all political parties for their support in not opposing this."

Cllr Bolger added: "This may be considered small, but it's an incredibly important and rewarding change.

"We've come a long way with gender rights, but these everyday inequalities will hold us back unless challenged.

"The council chamber can be an intimidating place for women, who are still very much the minority.

"As we push our way through this archaic system I look forward to seeing many more women standing and winning seats in our councils."

The two female councillors hold two of Labour's six seats on the council, while just 12 out of 49 councillors are women.