The consultation opened on 20 January 2026 and closed on 17 March 2026.
Acas consulted on an updated Code of Practice on time off for trade union duties and activities including guidance on time off for union learning representatives. This is to account for new Employment Rights Act 2025 requirements which will from October 2026:
- provide union equality representatives with the right to time off to carry out specified duties, including time off for relevant training
- require employers, where requested, to provide accommodation and other facilities as is reasonable to enable union representatives, union learning representatives and union equality representatives to carry out their duties.
These changes are reflected in paragraphs 23-24, 41-50 and 72-75 of the draft Code.
The consultation opened on 20 January 2026 and the closing date for responses was 17 March 2026. View the LGA response to the consultation.