Council sets up group to examine four-day work week for staff

Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

A working group will be set up and tasked with looking into the benefits or problems of a four day working week for staff at a Gwent council.

Three months after the initial idea was kicked into touch by senior councillors, members of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Corporate Governance and Resources scrutiny committee on Thursday, June 19, agreed that the idea needed to be further explored in depth.

This is despite warnings that any results of their work could lie dormant until at least 2031.

Inherited

The item was inherited by the new scrutiny committee from it’s predecessor the Corporate and Performance scrutiny committee which had discussed the four day working week earlier this year.

The item was brought back for discussion by committee chairwoman Cllr Joanna Wilkins (Independent).

Cllr Wilkins said: “What we did think about at the time is whether a working group would be beneficial.

“We didn’t make a decision because it was the last meeting in that particular cycle, and it would be for this new committee to decide if we wanted to take that forward.”

Cllr Chris Smith (Labour): “I don’t think it’s something that should be thrown out.

“There are possibilities across the council, and I’d encourage the workforce to be involved in any talks.”

Cllr Lisa Winnett (Labour) agreed with her colleagues but believed councillors would be “better off” looking into the topic when discussions about a future workforce strategy are closer.

She told the committe that the cabinet and senior staff will not be: “looking to do anything for several years.”

Cllr Keth Chaplin (Labour) who originally championed the idea of a four day week to the previous committee in February said: “It’s worth looking at.

“There is a whole gambit across this council where it could potentially work and some areas where it might not.

“Let’s explore and understand the options.”

He added that he had been reading council reports about problems recruiting and retaining staff.

“This is something that might help alleviate this, it might not, but until things are explored you never know,” said Cllr Chaplin.

Benefits

The committee agreed to set up the working group.

At a meeting on March 5 the ruling Labour Cabinet rejected calls to research the benefits of a four day working week.

Then on March 20, council leader Cllr Steve Thomas appeared before the previous committee to explain why.

He ruled out looking into the issue until at least 2031 when a new version of the future workforce strategy would be due.

Cllr Thomas pointed out that the council already has a flexible working framework including agile working and the opportunity for compressed working hours.

Another issue explained Cllr Thomas is that the views of Torfaen Borough Council now need to be “taken into account” as the workforces come closer together under a shared chief executive and senior layer of staff.

But Cllr Thomas stressed  “only a fool” would rule out making changes completely.