THIS innocent-looking picture of a parade to mark 100 years of some women getting the vote, sparked a political row.

The Review was the only paper to have a photographer at the event in Coleford at the beginning of February and published it on the front page as the nation celebrated the anniversary of the 1918 Act that gave women aged over 30 the vote.

But Forest councillor Lynn Sterry was angered at seeing fellow district councillor Andrew Gardiner in the photo – he is seen holding the banner on the right hand side – and made her displeasure known on social media.

That led to complaints about “gender-based discrimination” to the council’s standards watchdog and a debate about when somebody is acting as a councillor and when they are a private individual and when the rough and tumble of politics crosses a line.

She wrote on Facebook: “What was Mr Andrew Gardiner doing in a woman’s march celebrating the Suffragette movement. Just to get your photo in the paper. It was the women’s struggle for equal rights, not yours Mr Gardiner.”

The council received five complaints about the post, including one from Cllr Gardiner (Ind, Lydbrook and Ruardean) and one from activist Zac Arnold who said it amounted to gender-based discrimination.

But Cllr Bruce Hogan (Lab, Lydbrook and Ruardean), said the post was written not by “Cllr” Sterry but as a private individual.

He said: “She did not sign as Cllr Sterry, nor did she refer to him as Cllr Gardiner.

“The initial reaction would have been there is a man in front of all the women – it (the post) was done as a private individual in impulsive and unwise language.”

Cllr Sterry (Lab, Cinderford West) told the standards committee she wanted to explain why “the red mist came down that day” and claimed Cllr Gardiner had not treated women in the council with respect – a claim strongly denied by the Independent councillor.

She said: “My grandmother was involved in the suffrage movement and it was all about respect as far as I am concerned.

“It was about respect for women, he has none.”

Cllr Gardiner said he received an invitation to the march and it was an honour to be asked to hold the banner.

He said: “I have supported suffrage and many issues with regards to women.

“It has been said there was only one man in the photo but right alongside me was the Mayor of Coleford. There were eight or nine men.”

Cllr Paul Hiett (Forest First, Bream) said there needed to be a clearer distinction between when people were acting as councillors and as private individuals.

He said: “The problem is the immediacy of social media and clicking before you think.”

The committee’s “independent person”, Chris Wood, said: “You are entitled to be pretty robust, whether as a private person or as a councillor but you must not overstep the mark and make it personal.

“Objecting to men at the march is fair but the comment ‘just to get your photo in the paper’ turns it into a personal attack.”

The committee decided the complaints should be dismissed.