‘No paternity leave for self-employed dads means problems’

Yorkshire MP Luke Charters recently became the first MP to take extended paternity leave, just as the government began a review of parental leave and pay. Fathers in the region told the BBC current laws fail them and their families, especially the self-employed who often can’t take any leave at all.

“I’m a dad first and an MP second,” Luke Charters explained as he began four weeks of paternity leave following the birth of his second son.

The 29-year-old Labour MP’s office manager will cover his work in the York Outer constituency while he is away.

“Every dad should be able to put their child first and I think better paternity leave will help them do exactly that,” he says.

“Hard-working dads who are freelancers or self-employed deserve paternity leave too, they deserve those precious memories at the start of their child’s life.”

He adds: “It is important that they can do that essential caregiving and they can support their partner.”

Many new fathers struggle to take any paternity leave at all.

Stefan Bratu, 40, from Leeds, says he and his partner Rose are not sure if they will be able to have a second child.

Fathers cannot receive statutory paternity leave and pay if they are self-employed or earn less than £125 a week.

Stefan says his new role as a self-employed senior business analyst means he would have to fit another baby around his ability to take unpaid leave.

“I’ll be honest, the idea of a second baby feels one million miles away,” he says.

“I don’t get holidays, sickness, anything like that, so taking considerable time off to help look after another baby without being paid would be financially really tough.”

Stefan says even having two weeks off at a statutory weekly rate of either £187.18 or 90% of a father’s average weekly earnings – whichever is lower – was “upsetting” after his son was born as he didn’t like leaving his partner on her own.

Stefan is involved with Dadshift, a group which has been campaigning for better paternity leave in the UK.

Co-founder Alex Lloyd Hunter says a lack of decent paternity leave and pay means fathers “can’t be as present as they want”.

“Without longer, properly-paid paternity leave, new mums are left struggling alone, dads and non-birthing parents face an impossible choice between bonding with their baby and earning to pay the bills,” he says.

“Children miss out on all the benefits to their development and happiness that comes from having their dad around.”

Tom Clements lives in Leeds with his wife and two children and is about to end his paternity leave.

His daughter Betty was born two weeks ago and he says the brief leave period is not enough time to bond with a newborn.

“On this occasion my wife had a C-section and she needs more support,” he says.

“When I go back to work it means that she’s going to be put under incredible amounts of pressure and that changed parental leave would make such a difference.”

Self-employed wedding photographer Barnaby Aldrick, 45, who lives in Leeds with wife Lynsey and their two young children, says he had to plan booking work around having his children.

“Although being self-employed means I can be flexible and decide when to take time off, I feel like it means I have to plan this almost like a year and a half in advance because people book quite far ahead for their weddings,” he says.

“You just have to use what you’ve earned and saved up and then try not to spend outside of your means.”

Barnaby is part of the Leeds Dads organisation which arranges events across the city for fathers to meet up, spend time with their children and build a support network.

They have also been involved in campaigning for the government to review its parental leave policies.

Founder Errol Murray, who set up the group 14 years ago, feels many companies mistakenly believe they would “lose out” should paternity leave be increased.

“They get all the money back from the government and the benefit for the companies is that they get loyalty from the individuals,” he says.

But many small businesses are sceptical, as they would have to train more staff for short-term cover.

Mr Murray says that targeted support for those businesses could ease the burden.

“I think what we need to have is a policy that works both for families and works for businesses as well,” he says.

“At the end of the day you never do a more important job than being a mother or a father.”

Conservative councillor Alan Lamb, who sits on Leeds City Council, questions would will pay for better paternity leave and pay.

“I’ve got absolute sympathy with the fathers and families who want to spend quality time with their new children,” he says.

“But there’s a balance to strike with how much it costs and who is going to pay for it.

“With a big firm with a huge HR department, it’s not too difficult to be able to do that – but when you get down to very small micro businesses or freelancers, it’s much, much harder to be able to afford it and still cover the work that that person would do.”

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds recently told BBC Breakfast the government was looking into paternity leave as it was “not particularly generous or supportive compared to other countries”.

“We also know that a lot of people just aren’t taking it at all,” he adds.

“One in three dads take no parental leave whatsoever – so this needs looking at it in a proper way.”

He said the review was being launched as it had been “a long time” since government had looked at the issue in the UK.

“Work has changed a lot, there are a lot more self-employed people and families have changed a lot,” he said.