England’s only four-day week council has nearly hit rock bottom in the league tables as its planning department was ranked 299th out of 318 councils in England – making it one of the worst performers in the country.
A new report by The Times ranks England’s councils for its performance in waste services, roads, social care and planning.
South Cambridgeshire District Council – which has been under Lib Dem control since 2018 – was ranked a mediocre 86th overall.
Meanwhile, neighbouring East Cambridgeshire District Council – Conservative-led since 2007 – was ranked 2nd in England overall.
The Lib Dem administration in South Cambs has been trialling four-days’ work for five-days’ pay for over 470 desk-based staff since January 2023. The four-day week trial was then extended to the waste crews in September 2023.
The four-day week trial has faced significant heat from disgruntled residents, opposition councillors and the government.
After it ignored the government’s warnings, the Lib Dem administration was slapped with a Best Value Notice – formally expressing the government’s concerns that South Cambs residents are not getting value for money under this trial.
And Lib Dem-run South Cambs’ poor performance compared with its Conservative-led neighbours suggests the four-day week isn’t working.
Cllr Heather Williams, Leader of the Conservative Opposition at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said:
“This latest news just reaffirms my concern that residents are not getting the service they deserve in South Cambs, and that spending taxpayers’ money – residents’ money – on the media circus that the four-day week has become is wrong, unreasonable and unfair to residents of South Cambs.
“I take no pleasure in seeing how low the council has ranked in these league tables. I believe there are good officers at the council who deserve to be supported and resourced properly – not subjected to social experiments like this.
“Let’s get people back to working the hours they are paid for and give residents the council they deserve.”
