From April, Paternity Leave will be a day one right at work
An additional 32,000 more dads per year will be able to access Paternity Leave immediately, as a mother would with maternity leave thanks to the the recently passed Employment Rights Act, will see parents no longer be forced to make the heart-wrenching choice between being there for the first weeks of their child’s life or going back to work to avoid losing their job. Read more here.
Parents of premature babies are now entitled to more time off work to care for their new baby without using maternity or paternity leave
This Labour government has introduced Neonatal Care Leave, which means parents of babies who arrive early can now take up to 12 weeks of leave, fully-paid in some circumstances, on top of any other leave they may be entitled to including maternity and paternity leave. Read more here.
More investment in our schools in Newport means a better start for children across the city
In the 25/26 council budget, Newport City Council pumped millions of pounds of additional funding into Newport’s school – and they want to do the same again this year. Keep an eye out for this as the budget consultation progresses.
From April, both the Minimum and National Living Wage will increase
Hundreds of workers across Newport East will get a pay rise of around £900 a year when the National Minimum Wages and Living Wage increase in 2026. Read more here.
In Newport, every primary schoolchild is entitled to a free school lunch
Since 2023, ahead of the Welsh Government roll-out, every primary schools aged child in Newport has been entitled to a free school lunch – and that isn’t stopping.
This spring, energy bills will start to come down, with the average bill being cut by £150 a year
The Labour government announced in the Autumn Budget that we will cut the cost of living, including by taking an average of £150 off the costs of household energy bills from April next year.
This energy bill support is on top of extending the £150 Warm Home Discount to around a further 2.7 million of the poorest households, with up to 6 million households now receiving the discount.
The UK Government is working to restrict zero-hours contracts, making work more secure
Read more about how the newly passed employment rights Act will work for working families here.
Child Benefit will increase by 3.8%
Read more on this here.
Drops in interest rates mean new mortgages are costing families less now than 2 years ago
Following the Labour Government’s action to restore stability to the economy – with six interest rate cuts since the General Election, the fastest pace of cuts in 17 years – the cost of a typical new mortgage has fallen to £1,071 per month. This means that families taking out a new mortgage are saving around £114 each month, or £1,368 a year – putting money back in people’s pockets.
Parental leave becomes a day one right at work this year making getting into work easier for parents
Around 390,000 people are estimated to be out of work due to caring responsibilities but want a job, including parents. The reforms to parental leave include the right to take Unpaid Parental Leave from the first day in a new job, giving a further 1.5 million parents more flexibility to share caring responsibilities. Read more here.