A City of Cockburn Councillor says its “ridiculous” she had to get her maternity leave approved by nine of her fellow councillors within the jurisdiction.

Councillor Lara Kirkwood believes the rules are out of date, and need to be changed.

“I don’t believe that councillors should be giving permission for a fellow elected member to go on leave. I believe it should be the CEO and the Mayor who signs off on this with a policy in place,” she said.

Ms Kirkwood says it’s a situation no councillor should be exposed to.

“When I rang WALGA, they had absolutely no idea how to advise me for leave because they’d never been asked the question,” she told Perth LIVE.

After writing to the Minister for Local Government John Carey around a month ago, Ms Kirkwood is waiting for a reply.

Press PLAY to hear the full interview.