The government has dropped official opposition to the introduction of a four-day working week by a local council: a move which could pave the way for other local authorities to do the same.
The previous Conservative government objected to the plan by South Cambridgeshire District Council after it was introduced in 2023. But local government secretary Angela Rayner has criticised the previous administration for “micromanaging” local authorities over the policy.
The four-day working week continued past the end of its trial period in March this year as the council awaited information from ministers.
While it is not official government policy to support a four-day working week, and the government has no plans to consider such a move, ministers are no longer objecting to it.
A letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to the Cambridgeshire authority on Friday said councils are “rightly responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces”.
Conservative ministers had issued the authority near Cambridge with a series of Best Value Notices throughout 2023 and 2024, which contained formal concerns including that “the working arrangements chosen by the authority could impact on the delivery of its Best Value Duty” and that “the removal of up to a fifth of the capacity of the authority means that it is unlikely in aggregate for it to be able to support continuous improvement”.
The letter from the deputy director in charge of local government stewardship, Max Soule, states: “Although it is not government policy to support a general move to a four-day working week for five days’ worth of pay, we recognise that local authorities are independent employers who are rightly responsible for the management and organisation of their own workforces.
“We encourage active and ongoing dialogue with the workforce and trade unions on any changes to local working arrangements. In turn, local voters are best placed to make decisions about the effectiveness of local authority services in their own areas."
It adds: “With this in mind, the [Best Value Notices] will not be reissued.”
The leader of the council, Councillor Bridget Smith, has said over the last year the council submitted “around 200 pieces of raw data to the government every single week” in response to the notice, but “disappointingly at no point were we given any feedback on the data”.
In a statement, Ms Smith said: “The results from our four-day week trial painted a really positive picture, with many of our services improving. This was along with the hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money we saved, improved recruitment and retention plus incredibly significant positives around health and wellbeing.”
According to the council, staff are expected to carry out 100 per cent of their work, in around 80 per cent of their contracted hours, for 100 per cent of their pay.
Council opening hours remain the same as before the scheme, the authority said.
While Labour has stopped short of endorsing the policy, last month, Ms Rayner told the Commons that a four-day working week is “no threat to the economy”.
It comes as London’s transport authority is understood to be working on a proposal looking at changing working patterns for Tube drivers.
Transport for London (TfL) has told the Aslef union it will set out an initial proposal on an average four-day working week in January, it is understood.
The body has said there will be no reduction in contractual hours.
A letter dated 5 November, seen by the BBC, reads that TfL will set out a “proposal for delivering an average four-day working week” by January.
A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to strengthening workers’ rights, and our landmark Employment Rights Bill will make flexible working the default.
“A four-day work week for five days’ pay is not government policy or something we are considering.
“The steps we are taking in the Employment Rights Bill will strengthen the right to request flexibility in how long, when and where employees work.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “Discussions are ongoing and there will be no reduction in contractual hours.
“As with any proposal, there are still details that need to be worked through and any changes would need to be mutually beneficial, preserving or improving the reliability of our service for our customers and improving efficiency.
“We will continue discussions with our unions.”
