Two men have been barred from sitting on a council women's committee, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

Councillors Paul Ingram and Steve Goddard hoped to become the first male members of the city council sub-committee after being nominated by their parties. But when they turned up for a meeting at the town hall, they were told they were not welcome.

Now one female member of the committee has resigned, branding the decision "sexist".

Cllr Jackie Gray told the Oxford Mail: "The concept of excluding elected representatives from a council meeting purely because of their sex is nonsense. I am not going to sit on this committee again. There is no other word for this but sexism."

The sub-committee was set up in the 1980s to represent women's interests. It is made up of four female councillors and more than a dozen co-opted members, representing a range of interest groups.

Green party councillor Mr Ingram and Liberal Democrat Mr Goddard were elected to the sub-committee earlier this year.

Other members called for a ban on men on the sub-committee but the council claimed it would be illegal under the Equal Opportunities Act.

When the two men turned up for their first meeting, members voted "not to welcome them".

Mr Goddard, 29, who teaches French literature at Oxford

University, said: "They made it clear we were not welcome and although they could not oblige us to leave, they requested it. "I could not see the point in taking part if I was not welcome to make a contribution and I will be resigning from the committee."

He added: "I had hoped I would be able to bring a different perspective."

Mr Ingram, a former vice-president of Oxford University students' union, said he would report back to the Green party before deciding whether to resign.

He added: "They definitely made it clear they did not want us. I think it is unfortunate and I think the committee will suffer as a result of this narrow agenda.

"I told them I thought it was a committee to discuss women's issues and not a committee for women."

Resigning member Mrs Gray told the Oxford Mail: "The sub-committee has become just a talking shop and was in need of extra relevance. These two men represent hundreds of women in their wards. The whole thing is ridiculous."

The women's sub-committee has campaigned on a range of issues, recently calling for more support for victims of domestic violence. Its co-opted members include representatives of female students, single mums, pensioners and ethnic minorities.

Chairman Mary Clarkson said the majority of members decided they would "feel better" if men did not join in.

"The women's committee is an opportunity for women to exchange information. Most feel more able to do that when men are not present.

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