Jonathan Wolstenholme, Aldo Karlin Curtis & Benjamin Taylor, with milk, flowers and eggs, at the Town Hall

CAMPAIGNERS left cartons of milks, flowers, and eggs on the steps of the Town Hall in protest against the minimal paternity leave new dads working for councils are awarded in the UK.

The fathers arrived with their partners and tiny babies last week to highlight the paternity pay gap and demand that council leaders improve their offers.

Most local government workers receive just two weeks’ statutory paternity – shorter than the shelf life of the supermarket essentials.

Ben Taylor, whose son Dylan is now eight weeks old, told the Tribune the two-week policy was “crazy”. “After two weeks, we were like, ‘can you believe I would be back at work already?’ It’s just unthinkable, that first month is just a blur,” he said.

Jonathan and Elizabeth Wolstenholme

Mr Taylor, who works at University College London, said he was fortunate that the university had a generous parental leave policy, meaning he can have 18 weeks off to spend with his partner and new baby.

He added: “It’s a lot of work and if Hannah was trying to do this alone, like the vast majority of mothers in the UK, it would be incredibly hard.

“Two weeks is really nothing, it goes by so fast, and the mother is still physically recovering. It’s good for me to have the time with the baby, it’s good for Hannah, but there’s also a strong case for the economic benefit. If mothers have more support from their partners, it’s easier for women to get back into the workforce.”

Benjamin Taylor and Hannah Marcus

The stunt came as part of a broader campaign by The Dad Shift, a group hoping the government’s ongoing review into parental leave and pay will see paternity leave updated for the first time since it was introduced in 2003.

Islington is among the majority of councils which currently give new dads one week off at full pay and another at statutory pay – just under £200.

This lags far behind the European average, which is eight weeks off at full pay.

Mr Taylor’s partner Hannah Marcus told the Tribune: “I don’t think I realised just how bad it was, I have been so surprised at how many people really just get two weeks.”

Lisa and Aldo Karlin Curtis

The couple, who live off Essex Road, said that having the extra time had “made such a difference”.

Ms Marcus said: “I think I would probably be struggling so much more both mentally and practically if he wasn’t at home with me. It’s hard to even get out with a baby. In our flat, because there are so many steps, even physically we live up two flights of stairs so I need help to carry the pram down the stairs.

“I definitely couldn’t have done it in the first few weeks, and imagine if you had had a C-section, you would literally be trapped in your flat”.

Council leader Una O’Halloran expressed her support for the campaigners, adding: “We appreciate the work being done by the Dad Shift campaigners to strengthen paternity rights, and we will explore our own paternity leave entitlements following the local election”.