Disappointment over four day week for council workers

Elgan Hearn Local Democracy Reporter

A Labour councillor is disappointed that cabinet members say they will not look into the merits of a four- day working week until at least 2031.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Corporate and Performance scrutiny committee last week, council leader Cllr Steve Thomas appeared before councillors to explain why his Labour cabinet had refused calls to research the benefits of a four day week.

They had been asked to agree to look into it part of future workforce strategy, by Labour’s Cllr Keith Chaplin.

He brought the four day week up at a committee meeting in February when the strategy was discussed ahead of the annual report and proposed delivery plan for the next year, going to cabinet for a decision.

The committee had backed his call and recommended senior councillors look into the four day week in the next version of the strategy.

But at the cabinet meeting on March 5 councillors rejected the suggestion.

Challenges

Cllr Thomas said: “The stress point is the feeling that a four day working week presents challenges especially in maintaining adequate coverage over five days.

“As the council already has a flexible working framework including agile working and the opportunity for compressed working hours and additionally our collaboration with Torfaen will influence workforce strategy going forward, they felt they could not proceed with the recommendation.”

Cllr Thomas continued: “But as you know only a fool would rule out such changes in the future, no one is closing the door, it’s been ruled out of the next strategy.”

Cllr Keith Chaplin (Labour) said: “It’s disappointing.

“It was highlighted because of the benefits it’s brought to that authority (South Cambridgeshire) and I’m mindful that 200 other businesses have introduced it.

“That authority made savings of £370,000, it reduced staff sickness, improved staff recruitment and performance.”

He added that he was especially disappointed that there will be no chance to look at this until: “potentially 2031.”

“Not being ruled out”

Cllr Chaplin said: “The benefits have been evidenced and I hope we would consider it in the future.”

Cllr Thomas stressed that a four day week was not being ruled out “forever.”

Cllr Thomas said “Strategies can be altered, we’re set to be working with Torfaen and we have to take their views into account as well.”

Committee chairwoman,  Cllr Joanna Wilkins (Independent group) said: “Whilst we might not be there right now, it’s good to know that potentially in the future it’s something we can look at.”

“On the table”

Cllr Tommy Smith ( Labour) said: “I am reassured by the leader’s comments as it shows that cabinet have left this on the table to be discussed again.”

“We were not asking to move to a four day week straight away, we wanted work to be done to understand the pluses and minuses.”

He suggested that the scrutiny committee look into the benefits of a four day week themselves.

Cllr Wilkins said: “That’s an excellent suggestion, I would like to set up a working group for it.”

The committee agreed that the issue will be kept as a live item on their action sheet and could be taken forward when the committee next meet in the new meetings cycle for 2025/2026.

South Cambridgeshire District Council started trialling a four day working week from January 2023 for a three month trial period.

The idea is that staff do all of their normal weekly work in four days and the salary remains the same as it would be for a five day week

Later that year the council agreed to extend the trial for a further year.

Independent research from the Universities of Cambridge and Salford published last summer said that key performance indicators (KPI) for South Cambridgeshire had improved or remained the same in 22 of 24 areas.