A four day working week deserves four days' pay, writes Nick Ferrari

Because the over-remunerated halfwits who run South Cambridgeshire District Council have been the first in the country to agree to their staff moving to a full-time four-day week.

In an interview on my show council leader Councillor Bridget Smith cited "widespread staff acceptance" and "enhanced staff retention" as validation for this authorised absenteeism - but where the hell does that end?

If they all got chauffeured to work in a Bentley, a three-hour lunch break, and a Fortnum and Mason hamper at Christmas, I'm sure they'd be even happier still. But guess what? Local authority staff are paid by us to work for us. It's really not that difficult a concept.

Tellingly, a survey of South Cambridgeshire residents which focused on 13 services provided by the council found that people felt nine had worsened since the scheme began and four stayed the same. Proof, puddings and eating seem pretty relevant here.

As it is reported that 25 other local councils are monitoring this council's decision, there's a pretty good chance that similar lunacy could be coming to a council near you any time soon.

The Lib Dems run the council, and the Labour government has already made plain its opposition, with Environment Secretary Steve Reed writing to Cllr Smith to express his "deep disappointment" and claiming that rent collection, re-letting, and repairs are all suffering.

However, it's worth remembering that, since coming to power, Labour has done precious little to get civil servants back behind their desks in Whitehall. Former Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg was ridiculed when, while still in government and serving as a minister, he left notes on empty desks in government departments - but Moggy was right to highlight this.

In some instances - again some  -  these staff are earning close to, and sometimes above, six-figure salaries, so it's not too much to ask for them to turn up for work, is it? You can see from another planet that Britain is broken, bust and bankrupt, so getting every hand to the plough should be the norm, not a request.

However, many of my listeners did come up with a neat solution. If the council only wants to be at work 80 per cent of the time, let's all agree to only pay 80 per cent of our council tax.

Wonder what the response in city and town halls up and down the land would be to that?

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Listen to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on LBC - weekdays from 7am on the new LBC app.

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