Continue to attract young elected officials

“KEY” legislation that should pave the way for more young adults to become councilors has been passed – after it was revealed the average age of elected officials is currently 60.

Councilors discussed parental leave for elected officials last Thursday after an amendment was proposed which would allow civil servants to receive their full allowance and Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) when taking maternity leave , paternity or adoption.

This cost is estimated at between £8,584 and £14,912 for each person who accepts the offer and is based on the Labor Local Government Association model, which has been presented to local councils across the country and is “considered nationally as a standard of good practice. ‘.

Councilors argued the move would help ease the burden on those who become mothers or fathers during the four-year term, while bosses also said it would also encourage more people to run for constituency seats.

Councilor Alex Burnett, who represents the Penistone East ward, praised Councilor Sharon Howard for bringing forward the proposal.

“Serving public office as an elected politician is an absolute privilege, as is being a parent,” he said.

“The first year of life is particularly a time when bonds, behaviors and happiness are formed and it is imperative to ensure that parents can dedicate time to their young children during this time.

“A previous independent report into our compensation highlighted how intense the role of an elected official can be.

“I took two weeks of parental leave from my job in the NHS for our three children, but I was unable to take time off from my counseling role when our youngest was born.

“It meant balancing file work, emails and meetings with sleepless nights, dirty diapers and seemingly endless bouts of colic.

“Even though I did everything I could, I couldn’t imagine successfully balancing these roles if I was in my wife’s shoes, feeding myself through the night and generally being a hero through it all.

“I think the lack of parental leave available to councilors is a barrier for many to becoming a local councilor and I hope this policy will go some way to removing those barriers.”

Members who give birth are entitled to maternity or adoption leave of 26 weeks from the due date, with the possibility of extending this up to 52 weeks by agreement if necessary.

Advisors who adopt a child and meet the criteria set out in the regulations are also entitled to adoption leave of up to 26 weeks from the date of placement, with the option to extend this for up to one year.

The change will now allow counselors to take up to two weeks off if they are the biological father or caregiver after a child is born.

The average age of a councillor, the meeting was told, is now 60, with only 16 per cent under 45.

Only 41 percent of elected councilors are women, prompting legislation in the hope of encouraging more people to run for office.

Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said it was “important” that measures were put in place to tackle the problem.

“We clearly need to put this in place in order to better support our current and future advisors,” he added.