Flexible working after mat leave

[Umadi]

Hi, I'm new here so please bear with.
I work in social care for a large county council and am currently on maternity leave. I would like to request to go back for 4 days per week.
I've been told that the council will only agree either half time hours or full time, nothing else will be accepted. When I started there were two people in the team working 4 days but they've since upped their hours of their own accord due to their own circumstances.
I know of 3 other working mum's in the county that have been told the same and have decided to go back half time. I unfortunately can't afford this.
I want to spend a bit more time with my baby, and also our child care is a mix of child minder and grandparents and at the moment the child minder does not have the availability to do an extra day and my in laws are unable to commit to it.
Are the council able to apply blanket rules to flexible working request?
Has anyone come across this before?
Any advice appreciated.

Just bumping this for you OP. You could try posting in the Employment Issues section too.

An employer has to consider all requests for flexible working, but can also turn requests down if they do not work for the business involved.

IME Employers hate 4 days a week contracts (this is what I do!), because you can’t get anyone to effectively do the 5th day, even if they wanted to only work one day a week. It is probable that the council has had its headcount cut so low, that they need to fill every role to 100%FTE (FiL time equivalent), and that only taking on people who work 100% FTE or 50% FTE is the most effective way of doing this.

I work in the same sector as you. We have all different flexible working arrangements, for anyone, not just parents. I've never heard of somewhere being quite so prescriptive by saying it's half or full time. Seems a bit odd really.

I went back after having Dd on 30 hours then gradually increased. I have 3 part time members of staff under me (in a team of 10). All working different days/hours. It's not really a flexible working request if there is only one other option to full time hours! Are you part of a Union. I have no idea if it could be challenged, I know flexible working requests have to be considered and only refused if it is due to business need. But this blanket rule seems a bit strange.

I was in the same boat with a county council. They wouldnt accept any part time hours at all and so I had to leave. I loved mt job and gutted this happened. They werent supportive or flexible at all.