South Cambridgeshire District Council has admitted its four-day week doesn’t work.
A report considered in a council meeting has shown council officers are having to work more than four days to get all their work done – and that some services are in decline.
A wellbeing survey completed by 328 out of around 470 desk-based staff working a four-day week showed almost 100 council staff actually worked more than four days.
53% worked an extra 2-3 hours a week, and 14% worked an extra 6+ hours a week.
As a result, the Liberal Democrat administration’s four-day week hasn’t been a four-day week for everybody. It hasn’t worked for many staff – throwing any meaningful conclusions from the trial into question.
However, even with almost 100 staff working more than four days, the council still reported that performance for some services is in ‘slight decline’.
Seven out of 16 areas monitored either stagnated or declined during the four-day week trial – almost 50% of all the council’s services.
This is worrying for residents who are footing the bill for the Lib Dem pet project – and getting a poorer service.
Cllr Heather Williams, Leader of the Conservative Opposition at South Cambs, said:
“Right at the start of this trial, I raised my concerns that it would not be possible for officers to get their work done in four days. The papers very clearly show that I was right – even though I was dismissed by the Liberal Democrats at the time.
“We were told that if there was any decline in any service, the trial would be stopped. And yet the Lib Dems are ploughing on with the four-day week – even though the report shows decline in some services.
“Performance is being propped up by officers who are not doing a four-day week. It is not right that the Lib Dems are overseeing unequal, unfair working conditions. I appreciate the hard work that is being done by those individuals who have opted out of the four-day week. But it’s not fair.
“Officers cannot get their work done in four days. The Lib Dems are trying to cling on to their social experiment by making it four-and-a-bit days. They should just accept that enough is enough, it can’t be done.
“Residents deserve better. Let’s get taxpayers receiving value for money and getting what they pay for – five days’ work for five days’ pay.”
