Posted on: 15/04/2026

Thought Leadership

Local government has long been seen as a leader in family-friendly employment, but that position is becoming less clear. As statutory rights expand and private sector innovation accelerates, the sector’s relative advantage is narrowing. Lorna Wells explores whether compliance is now replacing leadership, and why revisiting family-friendly provision could play a critical role in attraction, retention and workforce sustainability across local government.

By Lorna Wells, LLM FCIPD, principal HR consultant at West Midlands Employers

There was a time when a career in local government symbolised progressive, family-friendly employment. Long before statutory paternity leave arrived in 2003, the Green Book framework provided paid maternity support leave, generous annual leave and a culture where flexible working was not just permitted but expected. These provisions were rooted in a clear Green Book principle: employers should take reasonable steps to support employees with caring responsibilities and promote a healthy work–life balance.

Fast forward to today, and the picture is more nuanced. Over the past three decades, successive governments have introduced a comprehensive statutory framework of employment rights designed to support working families. The question for HR leaders in the public sector is no longer whether local government is family friendly in absolute terms, but how to recapture a position of being ahead of the statutory baseline and whether compliance alone is enough.

From sector leader to sector peer?

The introduction of the Working Time Regulations 1998 marked a turning point in employment rights, establishing minimum standards for annual leave, rest breaks and working hours. For many sectors, this was transformative. For local government, it was largely business as usual. Generous leave entitlements already exceeded the statutory minimum, and they continue to do so today.

However, it is in the area of family leave where the relative position of local government has shifted. Statutory entitlements have expanded incrementally and now include:

• Up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave (with 39 weeks’ statutory pay, subject to service requirements)

• Two weeks’ paternity leave (with pay aligned to statutory maternity pay levels)

• Shared parental leave and pay, enabling parents to share leave more flexibly

• Up to 18 weeks’ unpaid parental leave per child

• Time off for dependants

• Parental bereavement leave and pay

These rights represent significant progress, but they have also narrowed the gap between the public and private sectors. While NJC terms still offer some enhancements, particularly around maternity and paternity pay, the pace of innovation has slowed. In many cases, policy updates have focused on ensuring compliance with new statutory rights and there has been little extension of provisions beyond them.

The result is a subtle but important shift: local government is no longer clearly leading the way, but increasingly operating alongside a strengthened statutory floor.

The reality behind the rights

Take-up of some family-friendly provisions raises further questions about their practical impact. Shared parental leave, for example, was introduced with the ambition of transforming how families balance work and care. In practice, uptake remains extremely low across all sectors, with recent research suggesting fewer than 2% of eligible fathers use it.

This is not simply a question of awareness. The complexity of eligibility criteria, financial disincentives and entrenched cultural norms all play a role. For HR professionals, this highlights a critical point: the existence of a policy does not guarantee its effectiveness.

A similar pattern can be seen with flexible working. Initially introduced as a right for parents and carers, it became universal in 2013 and, from April 2024, a day-one right. Yet in local government, where flexible working has long been embedded, these legislative changes have often resulted in procedural adjustments rather than a fundamental shift in employee experience.

This raises a challenge for the sector. If statutory changes largely reflect what already exists for us, how do we aim for improvements?

April 2026: evolution, not revolution

The latest changes coming into force in April 2026 continue the trend of incremental reform. Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave will become day-one rights, aligning more closely with maternity leave in terms of access. However, eligibility for statutory pay will still depend on 26 weeks’ continuous service.

Changes also address an anomaly so that employees who take shared parental leave will no longer lose their entitlement to paternity leave.

Perhaps the most notable development is the introduction of a new category of bereavement leave (Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave). An employee with main parental responsibility will be entitled to up to 52 weeks’ leave following the loss of a partner during childbirth or during the first year of a child’s life. While this represents a compassionate and important step forward, it is unpaid, which may limit its practical accessibility.

For most authorities, these changes will not bring significant financial implications. The primary impact will be operational: updating policies, ensuring payroll systems can process entitlements correctly, and equipping managers with up-to-date knowledge.

A shrinking advantage

Taken together, these developments reinforce a broader trend. The Green Book has not become less generous in absolute terms, but its relative advantage has diminished as statutory rights have improved.

At the same time, the private sector has not stood still. Many employers now offer enhanced parental pay, flexible benefit packages and innovative approaches such as equalised parental leave for both parents. Evidence from 2024 suggests that a significant proportion of private sector organisations now enhance statutory payments, in some cases matching or exceeding public sector provision.

The implication is clear: the traditional narrative of public sector employment as the benchmark for family-friendly practice is becoming less distinct.

What comes next?

Looking ahead, there is potential for more fundamental reform. The Government’s 2025 call for evidence on parental leave and pay signals an appetite to review a complex and fragmented system. Any resulting proposals are likely to take time, but they could reshape the landscape significantly.

Is waiting for legislative change the most strategic response?

Local government is operating in a context of workforce pressure, financial constraint and structural reform. Against this backdrop, attraction and retention remain critical challenges. Pay alone is unlikely to provide a competitive edge, particularly where budgets are constrained.

This creates an opportunity to revisit the role of benefits and specifically, family-friendly provision as part of the sector’s employment offer.

Moving beyond compliance

The key question is whether the sector is content to maintain statutory minimum or whether it wants to reassert a leadership position.

In the absence of a national sector review of enhancements, there are several areas where actions could help maximise the impact of family friendly benefits:

• Simplifying access: Streamlining policies and providing clear guidance may increase confidence and utilisation of existing rights.

• Embedding culture, not just policy: Manager capability and organisational culture are critical in determining whether employees feel able to take advantage of family-friendly provisions.

• Innovating in flexibility: Moving beyond traditional flexible working to more personalised, life-stage responsive approaches.

A moment to reflect

Local government remains a fundamentally family-friendly employer. The values underpinning the Green Book—fairness, support and work–life balance—are still evident across the sector.

But the context has changed. Statutory rights have caught up, the private sector has innovated, and employee expectations continue to evolve.

This moment offers an opportunity for reflection. Not simply on whether current provision meets legal requirements, but on whether it reflects the sector’s ambitions as an employer.

If local government wants to remain competitive in the labour market, one area of focus is surely to move beyond compliance and rediscover its tradition of leading practice.

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