Council could become first to permanently adopt four-day working week

A council trialling a four-day working week has reported improvements across multiple services, according to independent research.

Since the start of 2023, South Cambridgeshire District Council has been trialling a four-day working week where staff complete all of their work for full pay in an effort to hire and keep more staff.

Twenty-one out of 24 council services have either improved or stayed the same since the trial began, according to the report which was compiled by university researchers.

The council said the improved services ranged from repairs to the time it takes to update benefit and tax support claims.

“There is now more consistency through lower staff turnover and improved health and wellbeing,” the Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, Councillor Bridget Smith said.

As well as filling staffing gaps, the trial saved nearly £400,000 a year by cutting down agency staffing, the Liberal Democrat-led council said.

“This is saving hundreds of thousands of pounds for Council taxpayers, not only because we’ve filled posts with our own staff, but by reducing our recruitment costs,” said South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Lead Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor John Williams.

“It’s now for all District Councillors to weigh up all the evidence and decide how we should proceed.”

The report findings come after the council had received two government notices over concerns of its trial of a four-day week.

The most recent notice expired in November and was not renewed by the Labour government. However Conservative opposition councillors have raised concerns that residents remain unsatisfied

“I want to assure residents that we have heard you loud and clear and agree with the overwhelming 77 percent residents and 88 percent of businesses who did not support the 4 day week,” leader of the council’s Conservative group Heather Williams posted on X.

“Conservatives will do all we can to STOP this madness.”

The council’s Scrutiny and Overview Committee will review the report on 14 July, with a final decision to be made by full council three days later.