Enhancing Our Family-Friendly Policies at West Yorkshire Combined Authority

At the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace. As part of this commitment, we are making significant improvements to our family-friendly policies to better support colleagues who are planning a family.

These enhancements, effective from 1 April 2025, include improved maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave pay, as well as paid leave for pregnancy loss and antenatal appointments.

Improved Pay for Maternity and Adoption Leave

We are increasing financial support for colleagues on maternity and adoption leave:

• For colleagues with less than 26 weeks of service: We will now provide six weeks of full pay (less any maternity/adoption allowance received from the government), an improvement from the previous six weeks at 90% pay.
• For colleagues with more than 26 weeks of service: We will now offer 26 weeks of full pay, followed by 13 weeks at 90% of pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay/Statutory Adoption Pay or normal weekly earnings, and 13 weeks of unpaid leave. This is a significant improvement from the previous entitlement, which provided only 1-6 weeks at 90% pay, followed by a combination of partial pay and unpaid leave.

Paid Leave for Antenatal and Pre-Adoption Appointments

We recognise the importance of partner support during pregnancy and adoption. Partners will now be entitled to paid leave for two antenatal or pre-adoption appointments, addressing a gap where only unpaid leave was previously available.

Enhanced Support for Pregnancy-Related Sickness and Pregnancy Loss

We are introducing new measures to provide greater support for colleagues facing pregnancy-related challenges:

• Pregnancy-related sickness will now explicitly include miscarriage, ensuring such absences are treated appropriately and sensitively.
• Colleagues who experience pregnancy loss within the first 24 weeks will now receive 10 days of paid leave, with their partners entitled to five days of paid leave. This acknowledges the emotional and physical impact of pregnancy loss and provides the necessary support during a difficult time.

Enhanced Pay for Shared Parental Leave

To ensure fairness and flexibility, we are aligning shared parental leave pay with maternity leave pay, eliminating financial disadvantages for colleagues who choose to share their leave.

Other Family-Friendly Provisions

We continue to offer a range of family-friendly benefits, including:

• Two weeks of fully paid paternity leave
• Adoption leave for surrogate parents
• Five days of paid leave for adoption-related preparatory appointments

A Message from Our Leadership and Unions

These policy changes have been welcomed across the organisation:

• Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, shared her enthusiasm, stating: “We are delighted to introduce these changes, which significantly enhance maternity pay and shared parental leave, as well as provide dedicated paid leave for pregnancy loss. As we continue to prioritise inclusion and colleague wellbeing, it is essential that our policies support those looking to build a family.”
• Union representatives have also praised the improvements, noting: “These changes will make a real difference to colleagues planning a family. By improving pay for maternity and adoption leave and offering greater flexibility for partners, the Combined Authority is demonstrating a modern and inclusive approach to work-life balance.”

Implementation of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023

From 6 April 2025, we will be incorporating the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 into our policies. This legislation grants parents up to 12 weeks of paid leave if their baby requires neonatal care or has a continuous hospital stay of seven days or more, ensuring that colleagues can focus on their newborns without affecting their existing parental leave entitlements.

Our Commitment to a Family-Friendly Workplace

At the Combined Authority, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive work environment. By enhancing our family-friendly policies, we aim to provide greater financial security, flexibility, and wellbeing support for all our colleagues. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to making the Combined Authority a great place to work for everyone.