I have just been made redundant from a senior role in a national…

I have just been made redundant from a senior role in a national newspaper whilst on maternity leave. I have a new boss who joined the company as an exec director 5 days before my leave began. I actually applied for this particular role at 8 months pregnant and got down to the last 3 from 80 + candidates. I was unsuccessful (as I expected) due to "lack of leadership experience". When the role was advertised, I voiced concern that this was my role being advertised with a couple of extra areas of responsibilty. The new director would have 4 less departments than the old one (amounting to 50% less responsibility) and I felt he would just end up doing my role whilst I was out of the business there wasn't enough to do. So as I thought, I have now been made redundant as the new director has restructured the team without me. He stated cost cutting as the reason and that he could do what I did. I have not been invited to apply for a new role which has been created - this was automatically given to a colleague. I have been with the business 13 years though have had two children 20 months apart and feel this may have been a bit much!

Whilst I am happy to go at this point in my career and have some time off with the children, I had planned to go back to work and feel I have been treated unfairly. I have been offered the usual redundancy package plus notice and a compromise agreement to sign, but would like to ask for an enhanced package which acknowleged that I was effectively redundant before my leave began as a consequence of an appointment which would absorb my role within it.

What are my rights in terms of what should be honoured in lieu of maternity leave, and does this all make sense? If I want to appeal the decision I have to do so within a timeframe. Whilst I don't necessarily want to appeal the redundancy, I do want to appeal the offer I have been made....