Despite lacking any legal power to control the issue, Local Government Secretary Steve Reed has criticised South Cambridgeshire’s four-day-week working policy.
In a letter first seen by the Telegraph, Mr Reed highlighted declines in “rent collection, reletting times, and tenant satisfaction with repairs, especially where vulnerable residents may be affected.”
“If social housing is being built by this government and your team are unable to move residents into them so that they are standing empty then I must reiterate my deep disappointment with your conduct.”
“I am therefore seeking assurance about the arrangements your council has in place to consider the impacts of your policy and that value for money for residents is being delivered.”
“In particular, I would like to understand how the council is seeking to mitigate the impact to those services which have worsened over the course of the four-day working week trial. I would like you to meet with my officials in the coming weeks to provide that assurance.”
A government source said on the matter. “We trust councils to run their own affairs in the best interest of their constituents, but we reserve the right to call out behaviour that lets down voters. They deserve more.”
South Cambridgeshire’s four-day-week experiment began in 2023 and resulted in furious condemnation from the then Conservative central government. The then Local Government Minister Lee Rowley wrote to the council leader in 2023 to “ask that you end your experiment immediately” citing concerns over “value for money” for local taxpayers.
In the overall report on the success of the trial, which was published in 2024, while some areas did see issues, many other positive features were widely mentioned.
According to South Cambridgeshire Council, staff turnover rates fell by 39%, resulting in a saving of £371,500 due large part to lower reliance on agency staff.
There were also accelerations in planning applications, as regular planning applications were completed ten days ahead of schedule on average, and 15% more of major planning applications were completed within the regular timescale, compared with the five-day-week normalcy.
Housing benefit and council tax relief also were accelerated, as time between application and provision shrunk.
While the council does accept that rent collection and the filling of empty council houses did slow, this was attributed to cost of living issues, and lingering affects of Covid-19 disruptions on local systems.
The South Cambridgeshire Council leader, Bridget Smith, expressed strong disappointment at Mr Reed’s attitude.
“We have delivered an annual saving of almost £400,000, maintained and improved performance, our turnover has decreased by 41% and the number of applications for roles advertised has surged by 123%.” Ms Reed said.
“Where we previously struggled to recruit and retain expert colleagues such as planners, we now have a full planning service which has just published our most ambitious local plan proposals ever, delivering on the government’s agenda to increase housing and jobs in our area. These results speak for themselves.”
The 4 Day Week Foundation’s campaign director, Joe Ryle, took a dim view of Mr Reed’s words “Sometimes it seems like this government is actively seeking ways to be unpopular.” He said.
“As hundreds of companies in the private sector have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers. The 9-5, five-day week is a century-old model that no longer fits the way we live and work today.”
“This is deeply disappointing from the government. Councils must be allowed to innovate.”
