Women battling to get equal status at a social club are backing Keighley MP Ann Cryer's call for the men-only rule to be banned.

Mrs Cryer wants the rules, which allow clubs to have exclusively male-run committees, scrapped so that woman can have equal status.

She is demanding that clubs like Sunnybank Social Club in Silsden - where women are not allowed to sit on the management committee - should be renamed either working women's and men's clubs or working people's clubs.

A Government White Paper, Proposals for the Modernisation of Our Licensing Laws, which will have an impact on the running of clubs, is going through Parliament.

Under the proposals Bradford Council would be responsible for granting Sunnybank Social Club its licence instead of licensing magistrates.

If they become law, club members and opponents would have the right to appeal against the granting of the licence and could also appeal to the Crown Court.

In a debate on the White Paper in the House of Commons, Mrs Cryer asked the Home Secretary Jack Straw: "Would Mr Straw consider requiring a link between working men's clubs special status and their conversion into either working women's and men's clubs or working people's clubs.

"A club in my constituency has used every trick in the book to keep women off its committee. That is not only sexist but undemocratic."

Mr Straw replied the special licensing arrangements for non-profit making clubs would remain and said her comments had been noted.

Fiona Clarke, who has been battling to become a full member at Sunnybank, said: "I believe the rules should be changed. It's not right in this day and age that women can't have equal status. I think the idea of having people's clubs is a good idea."

Alwyn Bolton, Sunnybank treasurer, said: "If the law is changed we will obey it. We will not fight it - we wouldn't do that.

"All along we have done what we thought was right and if new laws come about, we will obey them."

Three male members of the club - Bernard Clarke, Mick Sutton and Laurie Sloan - had their membership rescinded after they backed a group of women who demanded full membership.

A poll of members voted in favour of retaining the rule in which women cannot sit on the management committee and have full voting rights.

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