EAST KIRKBY PARISH COUNCIL
USE OF THE WORD ‘CHAIRMAN’
(2025)
Adapted and Modified Specifically for East Kirkby Parish Council by Mrs. J Mussett (Parish Clerk)
and
Mr. B Nowicki (Chairman of the Parish Council).
October 2024.
East Kirkby Parish Council
‘Chairman’
Statement:
The word ‘Chairman’ is used throughout the suite of Policies and Procedures produced by East Kirkby Parish Council.
‘Chairman’ is used in a gender-neutral way, and under no circumstances is it intended to mean a predominantly, or exclusively, male position.
The OED (Oxford English Dictionary) defines chairman as “a person appointed to preside over a meeting, debate etc., and who conducts the proceedings……….”
Similarly:
The Cambridge Dictionary defines chairman as “a person in charge of a meeting or organization.”
As can be seen, these definitions do not specify male or female.
In the eyes of the OED and the Cambridge Dictionaries at least, the term is gender-neutral and can apply to men or women.