Councillors will be able to take maternity leave under a new policy being put forward by Shropshire Council.
The authority hopes the step will help make the prospect of becoming a councillor more accessible to a broader range of people.
The new policy, which will also cover paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, confirms councillors will be entitled to their full allowance of £1,000 a month for the duration of their leave.
However the ‘six month rule’, whereby a councillor automatically loses their seat if they fail to attend a meeting for six months, will continue to apply unless an extension is agreed by the council in advance.
Until now, Shropshire Council has had no formal policy in place setting out rules for members who have children during their term of office.
Councillors will be asked to back the proposals at a meeting next week.
The draft policy says: “Improved provision for new parents will contribute towards increasing the diversity of experience, age and background of local authority councillors.
“It will also assist with retaining experienced councillors – particularly women – and making public office more accessible to individuals who might otherwise feel excluded from it.”
If the policy is approved, councillors who give birth or adopt through an approved agency will be entitled to six months’ leave, while councillors who are the biological father, child’s other parent/carer or mother’s partner will get two weeks.
Additional time off will be allowed in cases where a child is born prematurely, and extended periods of leave may be granted in other circumstances with prior approval from the council.
The policy says in cases where a councillor is taking shared parental leave from their employment, “every effort will be made to replicate such arrangements”.
Councillors intending to take leave will be expected to make arrangements for other members to cover their ward casework during their time off, if necessary.
In addition to their basic allowance, councillors who get a ‘special responsibility allowance’, such as members of the cabinet, opposition group leaders and committee chairpersons, will continue to receive this in full during their period of leave.
The proposed parental leave policy will be discussed at a meeting of the full council next Thursday.
There is currently no legal right to parental leave for people in elected public office, including MPs.
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