Cllr Clucas said the campaign coincided with a number of anniversaries, such as the centenary of Eleanor Rathbone’s election as Liverpool’s first female councillor in 1909, and the 150th anniversary of the death of Kitty Wilkinson next year.

The group is being advised on the design of the sculptures by Robin Reilly, a retired lecturer in sculpture at the city’s John Moores university.

Kitty Wilkinson (1786-1860) was a penniless Irish immigrant who, more by accident than design, initiated the first public wash house in Liverpool during a cholera epidemic.

Josephine Butler (1828-1906) was involved in charity work and helped rescue young prostitutes from the streets. She also played a key role in improving access to higher education for women, a campaign which ultimately resulted in the establishment of Newnham College at Cambridge University.

Eleanor Rathbone (1872-1946) was a social reformer who became the city’s first woman councillor when she was elected as an independent for the Granby ward, a position she held for 25 years.

She was then an MP from 1929 until her death in 1946.

She has a surviving niece who is now 95 years old.

It is hoped the statues could be completed and installed in St George’s Hall by early next year.