Legislation has been finalised in the Oireachtas to introduce maternity leave for councillors. The change is being made in an attempt to increase female participation in local government. As part of the Act, elected members availing of maternity leave may nominate a temporary substitute to undertake the role and duties of a Councillor for a maximum of 42 weeks, in line with the statutory leave afforded to employees.
There will also be an option for a councillor availing of maternity leave to access an administrative support allowance to help her to maintain the running of her office. A weekly vouched allowance of €234 will be made available for this purpose. The national average shows that women occupy 24% of council positons while in county Tipperary the figure is 22.5% with 9 women elected out of the 40 council seats available in the county. Local elections are due in May 2024.
