Lambeth Council leads the way with maternity provision for councillors
Lambeth Council is one of just 19 local authorities in England with a maternity policy for its councillors, new research shows.
A 2017 report carried out by gender equality charity the Fawcett Society with the Local Government Information Unit think tank called for the introduction of maternity rights at all councils, to make them more accessible for women.
But new research by Fawcett has found that almost 250 local authorities have yet to introduce any.
Council rules for England state that if a councillor fails to attend meetings for six months, they can be sacked from the council.
This means that if female councillors take the 12 months’ maternity leave they would be entitled to in other jobs, they could lose their position.
The Fawcett Society sent Freedom of Information requests to 354 local authorities earlier this year.
Of the 266 that responded, only 19 (7%) had a maternity policy in place for all their councillors – Lambeth Council among them.
It also has one of the highest proportions of female councillors of any local authority in England.