Jean Mackie

Local Government has always been a key pillar of the Labour Party in Fife. The overwhelming majority of Fife’s Parliamentarians have had a background in local government.

Almost as soon as women were eligible to vote, a prominent part was played by women in Fife local government. The first being Martha Frew, elected to Dunfermline Burgh in 1919.

In Dunfermline women were particularly successful in reaching the senior positions within the local authority . The most notable being Provost Jean Mackie, a real trailblazer for the contribution that women could make to local councils. She was born in Dundee in 1919 but moved to Dunfermline at the age of six. She was educated at Townhill Primary and Dunfermline High. Elected for Townhill Ward in 1953 and by 1961 she was elected Provost. Jean Mackie’s service to local government spanned thirty seven years and in that time she led the way with a number of firsts for women. These included becoming Chair of Fife Health Board and Chair of the Police Authority. Her lasting legacy is that so many other women have now reached similar prominence in Fife local government. Margaret Millar was also elected Provost of Dunfermline and Christine May was elected as the first woman Leader of Fife Council.