WOMEN in local government are too “frightened” of their reputations being tarnished to report sexual misconduct, a St Helens councillor has claimed.

Earlier this week, Cllr Jeanie Bell, St Helens Council ward member for Newton, spoke out in support of Liverpool City councillor Liz Parsons.

Cllr Parsons, the council’s mayoral lead for community safety, accused Lord Gary Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, of sexism after he referred to women as “birds” at the LGA Conference in Birmingham.

“I apologised to the delegates during my closing remarks at conference for any genuine upset I inadvertently caused,” Lord Porter said Thursday.

After Cllr Parsons called out Lord Porter for remark the on Twitter, Cllr Bell tweeted saying “underlying misogyny” was present across local government and political parties.

Cllr Bell is the women’s officer for St Helens North as well as part of the Liverpool City Region Labour Women’s Forum and Labour women’s network.

The Labour councillor told the Local Democracy Reporter Service she is aware of one woman who refused to report sexual harassment out of fear of the damage it would cause.

“I know of a female councillor who was subject to sexual harassment who would not report it because she was too frightened of the damage to her reputation,” she said.

“Because you are in a position where quite often as a woman your professional reputation is everything, absolutely everything.

“If you are going to damage a woman that’s often how you do it.

“She was so frightened of the damage that it would cause to her, and the gossip, and the talking and how people would look at her when she was speaking in council, that she didn’t report it – and she won’t report it.”

Cllr Bell said the accusations were made, privately, during the past two years.

The Newton councillor said the person in question is not a current or former member of St Helens Council.

“Parties can’t do anything if they don’t get told,” she said. “And that’s the advice you give, you should report it. We’ll support you to report it.

“But the environment can be such that you are so frightened by how it will affect you that you won’t.”