Thriving as a Working Parent in Local Government: What Needs to Change and How We Get There

Working parents in local government whether officers delivering frontline services or elected members shaping policy face a unique and often underappreciated set of challenges. The demands of public service are high: long hours, emotionally intensive work, and the pressure to be constantly available to communities. For parents, these pressures are compounded by the daily responsibilities of raising children from school runs and sick days to the emotional labour of parenting itself.

Unlike many private sector roles, local government jobs often come with a strong sense of purpose and civic duty. But that same sense of duty can make it harder for parents to set boundaries or ask for flexibility. Councillors, too, often juggle their public roles with full-time jobs and parenting responsibilities, frequently without formal HR support or parental leave policies.

With over 13 million working parents in the UK and thousands of them employed in or elected to local government the sector has both a moral and practical imperative to lead by example. Creating inclusive, family-friendly workplaces isn’t just about fairness; it’s about retention, wellbeing, and performance. Councils that support working parents are more likely to attract and keep talented staff, reduce absenteeism, and foster a culture of empathy and trust. As the public sector continues to evolve post-pandemic, there is a real opportunity to reimagine what support for working parents looks like not as a perk, but as a core part of organisational culture.

The Reality for Working Parents in Local Government

Working parents in local government are navigating a complex and often exhausting landscape. The sector’s commitment to public service can come at a personal cost, particularly for those balancing demanding roles with the responsibilities of raising children. The data paints a stark picture of the pressures they face:

Employment Rates and Working Patterns

• As of 2021, 75.6% of mothers and 92.1% of fathers with dependent children were in work in the UK. However, mothers were significantly more likely to work part-time or flexibly, while fathers predominantly worked full-time.

• In local government, 74% of the workforce is female, and many of these women are likely to be parents or carers, making the sector particularly sensitive to the challenges of work-life balance.

Time Use and the Gender Divide

• Employed mothers spend an average of 84 minutes per day on unpaid childcare and 169 minutes on household work, compared to 55 and 106 minutes respectively for employed fathers.

• This “second shift” of unpaid labour disproportionately affects women’s ability to take on senior roles or work additional hours, contributing to the persistent gender pay gap, which widens significantly after age 40 due to the so-called “motherhood penalty”.

Stress, Burnout, and Mental Health

• The 2025 Modern Families Index found that 80% of working parents report high stress levels, with nearly one-third feeling “very stressed” on a regular basis. Among those, 67% struggle to function at work, and 80% find it hard to concentrate.

• Childcare breakdowns affected 65% of working fathers and 62% of working mothers, often forcing them to take unplanned leave or reduce hours.

• 46% of working parents are also concerned about their children’s mental health, which has a knock-on effect on their own wellbeing and productivity. This concern alone is estimated to cost UK employers £8 billion annually.

Perceived Employer Support is Declining

• The perception that employers are supportive of family life has dropped from 77% in 2023 to just 68% in 2025. The number of parents who feel their employer is “highly supportive” has fallen by 31%.

• In the public sector, where budget constraints and service pressures are high, many parents feel that flexibility is being rolled back, with 70% reporting reduced flexibility compared to the pandemic years.

Career Impact and Retention Risks

• 73% of working parents say they would consider an employer’s family support policies before accepting a promotion or new job.

• The gender pay gap for women over 40 has widened to 9.1%, reflecting the long-term impact of career interruptions and reduced hours due to parenting responsibilities.

• In local government, where leadership roles are still disproportionately held by men, this creates a pipeline problem talented women are leaving or stepping back just when they could be stepping up.

What Working Parents Need

To thrive in local government, working parents need more than goodwill they need structural support, inclusive policies, and a culture that values family life. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

1. Flexible Working as Standard

The Employment Rights Bill (2024) and the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act have transformed the legal landscape. Since April 2024, all employees in the UK have the right to request flexible working from day one, and employers must now consult before refusing a request and provide a written explanation for any refusal.

However, uptake remains uneven:

• In the public sector, 76% of employers offer some form of flexible working, but only 23% offer it as standard in all contracts.

• Frontline roles in local government such as social care, waste services, and housing often lack flexibility due to operational constraints, creating inequity between office-based and field-based staff.

To address this, councils should:

• Pilot flexibility in frontline roles (e.g. shift swaps, compressed hours).

• Train managers to co-design flexible solutions with staff.

• Use results-based performance metrics rather than presenteeism.

2. Enhanced and Inclusive Parental Leave

Statutory parental leave in the UK remains modest:

• Maternity: 39 weeks paid (first 6 weeks at 90%, then £184.03/week).

• Paternity: Just 2 weeks at statutory pay, with only 36% of employers enhancing this.

• Shared Parental Leave: Uptake remains low due to complexity and financial disincentives.

However, leading employers are raising the bar:

• 21% now offer 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave.

• 78% offer enhanced paternity leave, with some offering up to 4 weeks at full pay.

• Inclusive policies are emerging covering adoptive parents, LGBTQ+ families, and surrogacy.

Local authorities can lead by:

• Offering equal parental leave regardless of gender or route to parenthood.

• Supporting phased returns, KIT/SPLIT days, and parental coaching.

• Ensuring councillors also have access to formal parental leave policies, as only 48% of councils currently do.

3. Supportive Line Management

Line managers are the linchpin of a parent-friendly culture. Yet:

• 62% of managers say they don’t feel equipped to support working parents.

• 43% of fathers report that their manager is unaware of their parenting challenges.

What makes a difference:

• Empathy and flexibility in moments of crisis (e.g. childcare breakdowns).

• Challenging assumptions (e.g. that mothers won’t want promotions).

• Consistency in applying policies and avoiding the “line manager lottery”.

Councils should invest in:

• Training for managers on inclusive leadership and family-friendly practices.

• Toolkits and checklists to guide return-to-work conversations.

• Mentoring schemes for returning parents.

4. Cultural Change: From Policy to Practice

Even the best policies fail without a supportive culture. Councils must move beyond compliance to embed parenting into the fabric of workplace life.

This means:

• Normalising parenting in the workplace from team meetings to leadership narratives.

• Celebrating flexible working success stories to challenge stigma.

• Avoiding presenteeism and valuing outcomes over hours.

The Family Friendly Workplaces certification, now available in the UK, offers a framework for councils to benchmark and improve their culture. It’s backed by Working Families and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

What Councils Can Do

Local authorities are uniquely positioned to lead the way in supporting working parents not only as employers but also as service providers and democratic institutions. Here’s how they can step up:

1. Adopt Best Practice Frameworks

Councils can benchmark their progress using tools like the Working Families Benchmark, which evaluates:

• Flexible/agile working

• Support for parents and carers

• Line manager capability

• Organisational culture and wellbeing

• Senior leadership commitment

This helps councils identify gaps, celebrate strengths, and work toward recognition as a Top Employer for Working Families.

2. Create and Invest in Family Hubs

The Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme supports 75 local authorities to deliver integrated services for parents from perinatal mental health to parenting classes and early years support. Examples include:

• Barnsley: Offers holistic parenting support in familiar, non-judgemental settings.

• Wolverhampton: Focuses on inclusive support for new and expectant parents.

• Peterborough (Honeyhill Hub): Provides free or low-cost childcare, clothing, and parenting support in a community-led environment.

These hubs reduce stress for working parents by offering accessible, wraparound support.

3. Support for Councillors

Only 48% of English councils have formal parental leave policies for councillors. The LGA’s model policy recommends:

• Up to 6 months maternity or adoption leave

• 2 weeks paternity leave

• Continued payment of allowances

• Cover arrangements for special responsibilities

Adopting such policies can help diversify local democracy, making it more accessible to younger people, women, and carers.

4. Case Study – Hampshire County Council

Hampshire has developed a Strengthening Parental Relationships toolkit and case studies to help reduce parental conflict a key stressor for working parents. Their approach includes:

• Training frontline staff to identify and address conflict

• Embedding support into early help services

• Using real-life case studies to improve practice

This proactive, preventative model recognises that supporting parents improves outcomes for children and reduces demand on services.

What Colleagues Can Do

While policy and leadership matter, everyday actions from colleagues can make or break a working parent’s experience. Here’s how to be an ally:

1. Be Allies

• Avoid scheduling key meetings during school drop-off/pick-up times.

• Respect boundaries around working hours and family commitments.

• Celebrate don’t penalise flexible working.

2. Challenge Bias

• Speak up when you hear assumptions like “she won’t want that promotion she’s just had a baby.”

• Recognise that working parents are often among the most efficient, focused, and resilient team members.

3. Share the Load

• Offer to cover when a colleague needs to attend a school event or care for a sick child.

• Encourage a team culture where mutual support is the norm, not the exception.

As Mind UK and Working Families highlight, colleague support is a key buffer against burnout and helps create a psychologically safe workplace where parents can thrive.

Measuring What Matters: Tools to Track Progress and Impact

Creating a family-friendly culture in local government is only half the challenge the other half is measuring whether it’s working. Councils need robust tools to assess the effectiveness of their policies, identify gaps, and celebrate progress. Here are some of the most effective ways to measure success:

1. Working Families Benchmark

A nationally recognised framework that evaluates employers across key areas such as:

• Flexible working

• Parental leave

• Line manager capability

• Organisational culture

• Senior leadership commitment

Councils can use this to benchmark against other public and private sector employers and work toward recognition as a “Top Employer for Working Families.”

2. Staff Surveys and Pulse Checks

Regular surveys can track:

• Satisfaction with work-life balance

• Confidence in using flexible working policies

• Perceived support from line managers

• Uptake and experience of parental leave

Pulse surveys short, frequent check-ins are especially useful for tracking changes over time and responding quickly to emerging issues.

3. HR Metrics and KPIs

Key indicators include:

• Return-to-work rates after parental leave

• Retention of working parents, especially post-maternity

• Uptake of flexible working by role and grade

• Gender pay gap and progression data

• Absenteeism and presenteeism trends

These metrics help councils understand where support is working and where it’s not.

4. Exit and Stay Interviews

• Exit interviews can reveal whether lack of support for parenting contributed to someone leaving.

• Stay interviews help identify what’s working well and what might cause valued staff to leave in future.

5. Case Study Tracking

Documenting and sharing internal success stories such as flexible working arrangements or return-to-work journeys helps normalise support for parents and inspire wider adoption.

6. External Accreditation

In addition to the Working Families Benchmark, councils can pursue:

• Timewise Accreditation for flexible working

• Investors in People – Wellbeing Standard

• Family Friendly Working Scotland Awards

These recognitions not only validate internal efforts but also enhance employer branding.

7. Councillor Inclusion Metrics

Track:

• The number of councillors with caring responsibilities

• Uptake of parental leave policies

• Diversity of elected members by age, gender, and caring status

This helps ensure that democratic participation is accessible to all not just those without caring responsibilities.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Local government has both the opportunity and the responsibility to model what a truly family-friendly workplace looks like. As one of the UK’s largest employers and a sector rooted in public service councils are uniquely placed to lead by example. By embedding flexibility, empathy, and equity into their policies, leadership behaviours, and workplace culture, councils can:

• Retain and attract talented staff

• Improve wellbeing and productivity

• Reduce gender and caregiving-related inequalities

• Enable councillors from all backgrounds to participate fully in local democracy

But this isn’t just about HR policies it’s about changing the narrative. Parenting should not be seen as a barrier to ambition, nor should public service come at the cost of family life. When councils support working parents to thrive, they send a powerful message: that care, and contribution can and must coexist. The time for action is now. Let’s build a local government workforce where no one must choose between serving their community and raising their family.