Improve maternity pay and financial support for working families

We want the Government to improve financial support for families by increasing statutory maternity pay to reflect living costs, reviewing Universal Credit income thresholds so working families are not excluded, and extending access to the Sure Start Maternity Grant or an equivalent payment.

982 Signatures

Status
Open
Opened
Tuesday 24th March 2026
Last 24 hours signatures
12
Signature Deadline
Thursday 24th September 2026
Estimated Final Signatures: 3,091

Reticulating Splines

You may be interested in these active petitions

1. Appoint a Maternity Commissioner to improve maternity care for mums and babies - 147,582 signatures
2. Allow charities to rescue dogs with docked tails under the Animal Welfare Bill - 23,024 signatures
3. Abolish Ground Rent for Existing Residential Leasehold Properties - 15,332 signatures
4. Create a national database of convicted animal abusers - 8,368 signatures
5. Improve funding, pay & professional recognition for the Early Years workforce - 24,776 signatures

During the cost of living crisis, many working families struggle financially when income drops during maternity leave. Statutory maternity pay is often insufficient, and current eligibility rules for Universal Credit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant can exclude families who are in work but still under financial pressure. Families should not be penalised for working and contributing to society before starting a family.


Petition Signatures over time

Constituency Data

Reticulating Splines