Helen Wright

Guest of Honour at 49th Women of the Year Lunch and Assembly in 2004

Helen was informed in 2004 that she would be a Guest of Honour at the 49th Women of the Year event. "Dear Bailie Wright, I am delighted you are able to attend the Women of the Year Lunch and Assembly in October. It gives me great pleasure to tell you that you have been nominated as a Guest of Honour for 2004. Women of particular merit are invited as national Guests of Honour and we very much hope you will accept this recognition of your own notable achievement."

Helen was again invited to the Women of the Year lunch as a guest in 2014 where she met her old colleague and friend going as far back as her trade union days, Helena Kennedy
Photo: Bailie Helen Wright with Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, KC

A Champion for Women

Prior to entering local government in 1980, Helen had a record of campaigning for women’s rights and equality. She was a national official of her trade union, and Chair of AUEW-TASS National Women's Sub Committee (NWSC) between 1977-1981. Helen was also a member of AUEW-TASS District Committee 1975-1982 and supported women in the workplace throughout the UK. In the 1970’s this included supporting women in equal pay claims and actively encouraging women to apply for jobs that were traditionally given to men. Helen had a record of success, which was recognised by women’s groups, including her trade union, which elected her to the post of UK national chair of the Women’s Sub-Committee. When Helen settled in Dundee in 1978 she established the Dundee Labour Party Women's Council, which is going strong to this day. Helen is seen as something of a trailblazer for women, and many women following her have benefitted from her impressive work and achievements.

Helen has always worked in cooperation with women throughout the UK for better sex equality legislation - arguing that this was a human right that must be reflected in law, Helen campaigned for radical improvements in areas including employment opportunities, earnings, childcare, education and training. Helen was invited to become a member of the Shadow Ministry of women.

Helen’s record of achievement continued in local government where she pursued and championed policies that promoted equality and fairness.

Helen was the only female member of the Dundee District Council 25 member Labour Administration when she was elected as a councillor in 1980. It was quite an experience for the city chambers to have a new female councillor coming into the offices with an eight month old baby and, just over a year later, being the first female councillor in the city to have a baby whilst in office.
This newspaper article and photo shows Helen Wright as the only female member of the new Labour Group in 1980:

It is perhaps not easy for young women today to imagine the very different world Helen was faced with, and how difficult it was for women to meet the challenges and make changes. On a slightly less serious issue, but one that illustrates the attitudes of the time, when Helen was first elected, women were not permitted in most public bars. Helen was not prepared to tolerate this situation and even struck a blow for women as a member of the licensing board - the Equal Opportunity to enjoy a refreshment in Dundee pubs had been achieved!

However, as the photo in the following newspaper article a few years after her election demonstrated, the battle for equality and breaking the down the barriers and stereotypes the news item are shown wearing business suits but Helen, who was in fact the chair of the tribunal, is portrayed wearing an apron and holding a cookbook (Helen had agreed some time earlier to wear this outfit to help promote the Dundee cook book she is holding). Perhaps it was slightly, but not much, better than the national newspaper report about one of her speeches at the TUC a few years earlier where they described Helen as the pretty red haired Scottish lass wearing a short white dress!

In 1991 Helen led a year-long programme of women’s events organised as part of the Dundee 800 celebrations (Dundee’s 800th Anniversary); this was universally hailed as a superb success. Helen was a member of the Shadow Ministry of women and was delighted that Jo Richardson MP the Shadow Minister for Women accepted her invitation to join the celebrations.

In 1999 Helen became the first female Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of Dundee - details of this fascinating story will appear on this website. In 2005, twenty-five years after being elected as a local government councillor, female councillors throughout Scotland still held only 20% of Scottish local government seats.

Helen continues to work to improve female participation and representation in politics, and one of the driving forces in her decision to again seek re- election in 2022 was her determination to encourage women to put themselves forward as candidates, and to be there to support them. This led to the new Labour Group in 2022 having a majority of female members for the first time.