BELFAST'S deputy lord mayor who suffered three miscarriages has said a new policy to provide paid bereavement leave for staff facing similar trauma will support them in their "darkest moments".
The new policy takes effect from February 1 and provides council staff 10 days of paid leave if they suffer a miscarriage, and three to those whose partner has one.
The previous Belfast City Council policy meant anyone suffering a miscarriage in a pregnancy under 24 weeks was not entitled to paid leave and had to use annual or sick leave.
Alliance deputy lord mayor Michelle Kelly, whose original motion led to the new policy, said the previous stance treated early miscarriage solely as a health issue.
Ms Kelly, who announced this week she would not be standing for re-election in May as a representative for the Titanic area, had her first miscarriage in 2018, and two more before giving birth to her daughter in 2021.
"For many families, this kind of loss is not a sickness or merely a health issue, but a bereavement. Anyone put in that heartbreaking, unenviable position deserves the opportunity to grieve their little one without having to worry about work or requesting the time off," she said, adding that the new policy would mean the council was "better able to support employees going through what can be some of their darkest moments".
Meanwhile, Ms Kelly said she had made the "difficult decision" not to stand again in the upcoming council election as she wanted to spend more time with her daughter.
"It's been the honour of my life to represent Titanic," she said in a tweet on Thursday.
"But I've been balancing council with a full time job since my wee miracle was just a few weeks old and I want to be more present for her as she grows."