Lib Dem-run South Cambridgeshire District Council has left out the crucial question of whether or not residents are happy to fund a paid day off for all staff every week or not in their four-day week questionnaire for local residents and businesses.
The Lib Dem council has been paying staff 37 hours per week for only 32 hours work – a four-day week experiment that has seen government intervention over concerns that residents are not getting best value from the part-time council.
After two years of ignoring angry taxpayers funding the council’s three-day weekend – every weekend – the time has finally come for the council to ask residents for their views on the four-day week.
But published draft consultation papers show the crucial question has been left out.
Out of 68 questions for businesses and 57 questions for residents, not one of them asks whether respondents agree with the four-day week – or if they are happy to pay for council staff not to work.
Instead, respondents must wade through a marathon of impossible to answer questions, such as ranking their satisfaction with bin collection services before and after the 18th of September 2023, when the South Cambridgeshire bin crews began their four-day week.
Cllr Heather Williams, Leader of the Conservative Opposition at South Cambridgeshire District Council, expressed her anger at this “shoddy” attempt to finally ask residents for their views on the four-day week:
“What is the point of spending taxpayers’ money on a consultation on the four-day week, if the Lib Dems aren’t even bothering to ask whether residents are happy to pay for the four-day week or not? I feel completely conned and lied to. Every assurance I was given that residents would be properly consulted and councillors would get a vote feels like a lie.
“To be presented with this consultation document after all this time fighting for residents’ voices to be heard, is beyond disappointing.
“I am angry and I am frustrated – but sadly not surprised. Throughout this process, it has been a constant battle for information or even simple debate. Residents have the right to have their voices heard – and they are being snubbed by a Lib Dem administration who can’t face up to the truth: that many residents don’t want to pay ever-increasing council tax, only for their council to take a fully-paid extra day off every week.
“This is the ultimate act of cowardice from the Lib Dems. Hiding from a problem they have created by refusing to ask crucial questions is not democratic and it is not good practice.
“This is not a consultation. It is a PR exercise.
“It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic, but South Cambs is becoming more and more of a farce.”
