Conservatives vow to ban four-day working weeks for council staff

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Sir James Cleverly, the shadow local government secretary, said “taxpayers should not be paying full rates for part-time services”.

The Westminster Government’s policy is that “local authorities should not be offering full-time pay for part-time work”, a position that Local Government Secretary Steve Reed set out in a letter to town hall leaders late last year.

South Cambridgeshire District Council adopted a permanent four-day week policy last year, and staff who take up the offer are expected to complete 100% of their work in 80% of their contracted hours, with no pay cut.

The authority began trialling the policy in 2023 and found 21 out of 24 service areas improved or stayed the same during the reduced-hours working.

This included improvements to the percentage of calls answered by the council’s contact centre and the average number of weeks for householder planning applications to be decided.

Read more: Councils warned against introducing four-day working weeks by Minister

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But in the month when council tax bills rise by an average £111 throughout England, the Conservatives have unveiled plans for a new law to ban the practice.

The party’s Ban Four Day Week and the Protection of Public Services Bill would prevent all public services, including councils, from offering these shorter working weeks.

"A four-day working week, where pay is maintained but and hours are reduced, is not value for money and does disservice to hardworking families just trying to get by,” Sir James said.

“The Conservatives will end this nonsense and have a clear plan to ensure that taxpayers get the services they pay for – to deliver stronger economy, ensuring that taxpayers get the service they pay for.”

According to Mr Reed’s letter, “local authorities are independent employers who are responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces”.

He continued: “But our collective focus on delivering value for money for taxpayers must be unyielding.”Allegations of staff undertaking part-time work on full-time pay could be “considered an indicator, among a wide range of factors, of potential failure” at a local authority, Mr Reed added.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “It’s a total embarrassment for the Tories to be, yet again, railing against things that happened on their own watch and which they took zero action on.

“This Government has already told town halls not to pay five-day salaries for four days work.

“While the Conservatives chase headlines, Labour is focused on easing the cost of living and investing in communities.”

Bridget Smith, the leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, told the Press Association: “Yet again, we witness the political gymnastics of this outdated and out of touch Conservative Party descend into a collective swoon over the terrifying prospect of a council functioning better whilst saving the taxpayer money.”

Referring to the former levelling up secretary, the Liberal Democrat councillor added: “The sheer audacity of Michael Gove and his successors demanding innovation while simultaneously stamping their feet at the sight of a recruitment crisis being solved by something as radical as common sense.

“To call for a ban on a proven success is to effectively declare that the Tory party prefers its local government to be traditional, expensive and perpetually understaffed, rather than modern and, heaven forbid, effective.”

Ms Smith’s authority was issued with a best value notice in 2023, when Lord Gove was in Government, which has since expired.

Ministers at the time feared four-day week working would mean the authority was unable to “support continuous improvement” and demanded “robust evidence of the impacts of the trial on services offered to residents and on the organisation itself”.